Seek the Stars
by Kirishtu
Summary: Set two years after the end of Kingdom Hearts 2, a new menace threatens the safety of all worlds. When Kairi is taken to enlist Sora and Riku's help, they have no choice but to go after her. Doors open, doors close, and nothing is the same.
1. Chapter 1

Originally published on aff 2009-04-12 - 2010-07-04

I

It was cold, quiet, and dark.

Could barely see a foot away, not even the hand held up in front of the eyes. Blind? No, just not enough light. Light. It made up all, from the stars to human beings – light shone from everything. So why not here? Why not in this place? What was it about this black place that sucked the light out of everything, even this hand? Toes wriggled against a velvet-soft ground. This new information indicated that the feet had no protection, but the ground was pleasant to walk on. There were no harmful obstructions; at least, none that could be sensed, anyway. So what to do? It was cold here, indicated by the gooseflesh rising, so was that a clue to begin to move? To find some place warm? The quiet was nice, but then there was that nervousness of being alone, of being vulnerable. There wasn't even the frightening comfort of blood pumping in the ears. So what to do?

-Pirrup-

The quiet suddenly became less so and the onset of panic was suddenly real. The sound was so loud that it seemed to come from all directions at once.

-Pirrup pirrup-

It was chirping, communicating. Was it a good idea to call back? Or simply stay still and hope whatever it was passed by?

-Pipipirrup pipipirrup-

Panic took over the legs and being blind was hardly a deterrent from running, toes digging into velvet floor to propel the body along. Pure adrenaline charged the body, slip-sliding within veins to force speed into the deciding factors of whether the creatures caught up or not. It was a race, a life or death race, and survival skills demanded that the need to live was far, far greater than the desire to die.

-Pipirrup! Pirrup!-

Breath left the lungs at an astounding rate, throat burning as air was drawn to the lungs through the mouth. The tongue was soon dried out and stuck to the roof of the mouth, but still the momentum kept on only because fear drove the flight response. Bare feet slapped against the velvet ground, sound muffled but still most certainly leaving traces behind, leaving a trail to be followed. Stop, the body pleaded, stop. Rest.

Just a little farther. Just a little farther, then rest can come. Need to keep away from those sounds, those voices, because if those sounds and voices came closer, then the end would come. The desire to live far outweighed the desire to die. On and on the darkness went, a path chosen for simple necessity rather than because it was the correct one. Slowly, the momentum stopped, slowly the speed gradually fell to a simple walk, and the aches and pains of the body made themselves known. It took a long time, but finally the lungs stopped burning, and the mouth was no longer dry and it was easy to breathe again. A relieved sigh escaped and the walk slowed even more to a lazy crawl. Without the need to run away, everything seemed inconsequential. It was time to enjoy what was beneath the feet, what was felt by the skin if not seen by the eyes. The darkness wasn't so bad, save for the soft chirps that were far off to the left and behind. The only thing that bothered and prickled the skin was the cold.

It was an icy sort of cold, the kind that bothered and prickled with the feeling of cold but there wasn't anything to guard against it. It was the sort of cold that drove warmth away and called warmth to the extremities, and made toes and fingertips tingle. It was an odd feeling, not entirely unpleasant, but not entirely pleasant either. It was time to stop soon, exhaustion wouldn't allow the body to move any farther on the low energy it had from running. A safe place was needed before it was time to rest, and so at least another hour – though the passage of time was irrelevant in the darkness – before a suitable place was found. It was just like everywhere else, covered in the velvet-soft black ground, but this place here had the gentle glow of a violet light. It said, -I am safe-. So here, this lit place, was chosen to be the resting place.

The black portal swirled open to reveal a sunny ledge. Sand reflected the light even in the shadows of the trees and stung eyes far too used to darkness. Moving forward out of the portal, the humid heat made the leather of the black coat stick and goddamn if a bath wasn't going to be needed after this. He moved forward a bit more until he could see the crystal waves lapping at virgin white sands and turned toward the island that was more densely populated. In retrospect, he should have opened a portal there, but the Dark Corridors were dangerous – anything could get through once one had been opened. And, anyway, his source said his target would be here today. He was probably early because he certainly wasn't late. And if he was, he knew exactly who to blame.

He fidgeted in his heavy black coat, wanting to take it off. He couldn't though, not until he made it back home. He moved from shade to shade, watching and waiting. Finally a dinghy scraped up to the dock and he watched as Sora climbed out of the tiny boat. The boy had changed since he'd last seen him. He had to be… what? Seventeen now? But it wasn't Sora he needed. Over the course of the next two hours two more dinghies sailed into the makeshift harbour and he watched a tall silver-haired young man climb onto the dock to help a mulberry-haired young woman up. The intruder flexed clenched fingers. It had to be timed perfectly or it wouldn't work.

Corridor hopping was always a dangerous business, even if you knew how to do it.

He had to wait for the exact moment and even then it was a long shot. The moment the teenagers slipped onto the sands, he made his move. He opened a portal behind him and crossed into the black-and-grey world of the Dark. Everything looked the same as it did in the realm of Light – just colourless. Except for hearts, which glowed bright. This was how he was able to find his targets. He took a deep breath. Here goes nothing…

With a hasty wave he opened a portal before the teenagers and barely gauged their reactions before he grabbed the girl. He yanked her back into the portal – and got a sore jaw for the effort – but the two boys were far too slow to react. He reappeared with his victim on the ledge he'd first arrived on and let out as scathing a laugh as he could to get the boys' attentions.

"Want her?" He called out as deeply as he could make his voice. "Then come to the place caught in eternal dawn."

Laughing again, his original portal opened and he passed into the darkness. His victim struggled against him, so he took hold of her by the scruff and dragged her, trying not to mutter too loudly.

Kairi, for her part, was highly uncooperative as her kidnapper dragged her through the dark tunnel, taking her God knew where. She tried to kick and regretted it when a portal opened before her. Unbalanced, she yelled as she fell through, crashing onto a metal floor. Her captor followed her through and the portal closed. On her feet, Kairi kicked at the Nobody, gasping when he – she? it? – caught her foot.

"Would you stop trying to kick my balls into my throat? Christ."

Kairi stumbled back as her foot dropped, staring wide-eyed as that black hooded jacket came off. "Axel?"

The redhead dragged his fingers through his spiky crimson hair. "Yeah. Or I was, before you tried to castrate me."

"Shut up." Kairi bit out. "You kidnapped me!"

"Borrowed would be more accurate a term." Axel said with a smirk. "You'll go home. When is another matter entirely. C'mon."

Axel moved from the floor toward a staircase, leading Kairi up and out of wherever they were into the soft pastel light of the outside. The girl stood in awe of what she saw – rows of buildings, a market, a huge fountain, even a beach and boardwalk. And that was just one side.

"Views a lot better from the Palace. " Axel pointed to the barely visible spines in the distance above them. "You can see almost all of Sunrise Town."

"Sunrise Town?"

"This place. Basically this place is where those who have no home come. Some place to start over, begin anew." Axel flashed Kairi a grin. "Like me. Let's go. I'm late as it is."

"Late?" Kairi echoed, breaking into a light jog to keep up with the redhead.

"Short version is I was ordered to kidnap you. Our President can tell you why."

Kairi's eyes narrowed, but she didn't ask anything more, hurrying after Axel. Whoever this President was, he was going to get the sharp side of her tongue. Axel led her through winding streets, always going up. People milled about and waved at the redhead as he passed. Kairi noticed people in black hoods much like Axel's Nobody jacket standing on roofs and in alleys and she lengthened her stride just in case.

Axel led her up to a huge wrought-iron gate that surrounded a yard large enough to house Destiny Islands and then some. The Palace beyond the gate and yard seemed huge, larger than the Hollow Bastion – Radiant Garden, Kairi reminded herself – palace and Beast's castle combined.

"It's several levels," Axel explained as he let her through the gate. "Maybe close to five hundred rooms per floor. Lab is in the basement, hospital the first floor above ground level, residences on the second and third, offices on the fourth and surveillance, training, and showers for communal use on the fifth."

"Who lives here?" Kairi asked in wonder.

Axel smiled wanly. "We all do."

"Who's 'we'?"

"Let's save that for another day. You're gonna have your feet knocked out from under you as it is."

Axel led Kairi – who was bordering overwhelmed now – to the Palace's wide double doors. He pushed them open as someone on the other side pulled, and Kairi found herself staring into dark brown eyes. The other girl smiled.

"Hey," the girl greeted Kairi and looked at Axel. "You're late."

"Yeah, I know. Let me get the Princess to the President and I'll get my ass down to the Terminal, promise." Axel clasped his hands together in a pleading fashion.

The girl put her hands on her hips. "Fine. I'll hold them, but you can't whine if you get stuck with Kaoru." She smiled at Kairi. "Nice to meet you, Princess."

Kairi managed a mumbling reply and she watched the girl hurry out of the yard, disappearing down the hill. "Who was that?"

Axel rubbed his neck. "Marlene, First Lieutenant of the Defense Core. Come on, before you end up making more friends."

He led her into the Palace then, toward the elevators. They rode in silence, Axel with his arms crossed over his chest and Kairi playing with the pleats of her skirt. The doors 'ding'ed open on the fourth floor, and Axel quickly led Kairi down the hall, taking four left turns and three right turns before he finally got to where he needed to be. Axel rapped hard on the door.

Kairi stifled her scream as the barrel of a gun pointed out at them. It was one thing to have a gun leveled at her, but when the gunman was wearing a blindfold, the sight of that gun just made her skin crawl.

"Hey Tseng." Axel said in a cheerful tone. "Delivering the Princess. Gotta get to Terminal. See ya!" And he was gone, leaving Kairi alone facing down a madman.

The blind man, Tseng, gestured Kairi forward as he put the gun away and closed the office door. The office was shaped like a rectangle, with a huge desk at the far end. Behind the desk sat a blonde man – the President, Kairi assumed – and those blue eyes of his seemed to pierce her very soul.

"Welcome, Princess of Radiant Garden and Destiny Islands," the President said, rising. "I'm very glad to meet you."


	2. Chapter 2

II

"You know me quite well," Kairi snapped. "So who are you?"

The blonde's lips twisted. "Rufus Shinra. Please, have a seat."

Kairi looked to the blindfolded man beside her and then to the bald man with sunglasses standing behind Rufus. They wore the same Nobody jacket, so she assumed they were affiliated. That gave her little comfort but she moved forward anyway and sat in one of the plus armchairs in front of that oakwood desk.

When Kairi had made herself comfortable, Rufus sat down and nodded at Tseng the gunman. "Kairi," Rufus began, "first let me apologize for your abduction. It was decided that taking you was the only way to get Sora and Riku to come here."

"Isn't that usually the case?"

Rufus smirked. "There's a problem we've been having, something we have, until now, been able to deal with on our own. My forces are spread thin, so you can understand the urgency."

"And you couldn't ask other worlds to help out?"

"Unfortunately, no. No outside world knows about Sunrise Town. Only those that have been here before or have a connection to it can find it."

Kairi sat back in her chair. "So how're Sora and Riku supposed to find this place?"

Rufus casually pointed at her. It was a motion that was as simply and thoughtless as breathing – which wasn't doing Kairi's breathing a whole lot of good. "Oh."

"'Oh'." Rufus said with a smile. "We'll keep you safe, so don't worry overmuch about that. Tseng, call Kadaj for me."

Kairi twisted in her chair to watch the blindfolded man disappear out of the office for a while. What was she was getting into? She could demand to go home, but then she might become a captive for real. She'd had her fair share of dungeons and imprisonment (never mind if the second time around her jailor had been incredibly hot) and was, quite frankly, tired of being the damsel in distress. Her eyes widened a little when Tseng returned with a silver-haired boy in tow. The boy looked almost like Riku, but his hair was shorter, straight and more of a gunmetal silver than Riku's white-silver. It was those green eyes that made her shudder though, for there was something in them that made the boy seem insane. Predatory.

"Kadaj, this is Princess Kairi." Rufus said slowly. Kairi wondered why the President didn't tack on 'Do Not Eat' at the end of the sentence.

Kadaj smiled and whatever malignancy Kairi felt was gone almost immediately. "Princess. We have two princesses now?"

"No. We only have one. Kairi is someone else's princess."

"Oh."

Kairi tried to smile. Now Rufus was sounding like he was talking to a kid. Was there some rule she didn't know yet?

Rufus gestured. "Please take Kairi to Mother. Then find your brothers and Tifa. I need you to do something for me."

Kadaj grinned and saluted. "Come on, princess! I'll give you the short tour."

"Oh, goody." Kairi breathed. She looked at Rufus and decided he'd be no help at all now. Finally she moved out of her chair and followed Kadaj out of the office of the President.

By the time they reached where they wanted to be, Kairi's legs were sore. Kadaj simply waved and left her standing before a door that said 'DEFENSE CORE OPS ROOM'. Kairi heaved a sigh and knocked on the door. When it opened, Kairi found herself staring into bright green-blue eyes set into a pale face. The woman leaned back a bit.

"You're Kairi?"

"Want me to be someone else?"

The woman snickered. "Now I see where she gets her backbone from. Come in, come in. My name is Jenova, but my given title is 'Mother'."

"Why?" Kairi asked, following Jenova into the room. "And who's 'she'?"

"Long, long story." Jenova completely ignored Kairi's second question and turned away. Kairi shook her head and gazed about the room. A number of other doors were set into various walls, all labeled depending on weapon type. There were monitors showing different angles of the city and Kairi could spot Axel in one of the frames. She groped for a chair and grinned as Axel was gesturing wildly at a brunette boy with darkly tanned skin, laughing.

Then Kairi saw someone she thought had been gone forever.

"Naminé."

Pipirrup.

Eyes snap open staring into the blankness beyond. The safe spot is no longer safe. Panic takes over, but no, can't panic. Get up, focus. Where are They coming from?

Pipi. Pirrup.

Behind. Left. Move forward and right, run. The rest did the body good, lots of energy to run from these things. Run fast and far and look for another Safe Spot. Hours pass with no sound but harsh breathing and Their calls. Velvet underfoot gives way to hard rocky terrain, and then back to velvet. More running, no rest now. Exhausted. But keep moving, because They are coming.  
Something strikes the shoulder. There's no pain for a moment and then a scream of agony echoes in the dark. They are excited, calling to begin the hunt.

Pi!

Weak!

Pi, pirrup!

Weak! Prey weak!

Giving a roar of pain, determination keeps the forward motion going. The arm is on fire, burning and smoldering with pain with each step. There is no Safe Place for miles maybe. Or maybe no Safe Place at all.

Fear makes running easier and the chase is on in full. Calls behind, hunting calls, victory calls and all that is done in reply is running. Run fast, run far, run run run. Just move and it will be fine.

Pipipirrup! Pirrup! Pi!

Too close now. Something strikes the injured shoulder, sharp teeth through vulnerable flesh. A scream and a struggle. Suddenly the velvet dips and the thing lets go. Another cry and down the hill, head over heels in a tumble roll. Stop. Warm here. Warm and bright. Light. Outside the light They stalk, waiting.

This light, what is it?

Get up and look.

A heart? Slowly circling, it is a heart, a bright fiery heart. There are pictures in the fire, warming chilly fingers and toes. This is a Safe Place, different from a Safe Spot. More light here, light that won't go away. But it's a heart, so it belongs to someone. Who? Memories play in the heart, revealing a thin young man with wild red hair and tribal tattoos on his face. The young man is laughing with figures in shadow, eyes alight with this inner fire. Reach out, take a little bit of light.

"Axel." The voice is rusty, disgusting to ears used to silence. "Axel."

Rest here. The light will keep Them at bay.


	3. Chapter 3

III

Sora paced the tree house since Riku had kicked him out of the Secret Place. Sora knew Riku was trying to get the door there to open, but Sora knew it wasn't going to. Not without Kairi. The brunette hadn't told anyone that he had been able to call his Keyblade to his hand a few months ago, figuring maybe he'd always be able to, that maybe he wasn't needed anymore. But he'd been so wrong. So horribly wrong. And now Kairi was gone, taken by a Nobody. And Riku was trying to access the Dark within himself again to open a Door so they could go after her.

It wasn't fair.

The Keyblade took away two years of his life for an adventure he'd nearly fucked up and drove him to the brink of despair and back hunting down his lost friends.

"I knew I'd find you up here." Came Riku's deceptively quiet tenor voice. Sora turned to look at the taller boy and wondered if Riku knew what Sora was thinking. When Riku didn't move, Sora quickly crossed the floor and grabbed the silver in a tight hold, forcing a kiss out of him.

"I hate being the hero." Sora moaned. "I just want to be normal."

"Unfortunately, the 'normal' train left four years ago." Riku replied, smiling into Sora's wild brown hair. "We got two years of rest. Maybe we're just not mean for a quiet life."

"Maybe."

"I can summon Way to Dawn, Sora. I know you can call the Kingdom Key. Face it – we're obligatory heroes."

Sora looked up into the aquamarine eyes of his boyfriend and heaved a sigh. "Fine. But if I die, I'm blaming you."

Riku smirked. "Who says you're going to die?"

"Did you get the Door open or not?"

Riku decided not to celebrate the minor victory. "No. I did, however, open a direct portal to Traverse Town, but I couldn't hold it for long."

"I'm not leaving you behind."

Riku heaved a sigh. "Wasn't what I said."

Sora frowned. "I'm still not leaving you behind."

"You don't need to. Not that I'd let you go without me, anyway. What's the worst someone could do to Kairi?"

Sora didn't answer that. Riku heaved a sigh and led Sora out of the tree house and back into the Secret Place that seemed to have shrunk in recent years. It was only because Sora had gotten taller, though, now close to six feet in height. His forehead came to Riku's nose. They emerged into the wide chamber of the Secret Place and Sora watched Riku concentrate on gathering darkness to him. The Keyblade master didn't say a word as he watched his Dark half call upon power he'd tried to discard and grit his teeth as the portal to Traverse began to take shape. It was stuttering, the portal, as if it didn't want to open. Riku was sweating with the effort and finally managed to lock the portal in place.

"It'll close in like ten seconds." Riku panted out. "The last one did."

"Then let's go!" Sora grabbed hold of Riku and ran forward, falling through the portal even as it closed behind them. The pair crash-landed on the hard cobblestones of the square, but no one noticed their arrival. Things like this seemed to be a common occurrence at Traverse so no one ever really paid much attention to who came and who went. The boys picked themselves up and Sora led the way to Cid's old workshop, long since closed and collecting dust now that the old foul-mouthed pilot had returned to Radiant Garden.

"How are we going to get in?" Riku asked. Sora looked at the taller boy and frowned. Riku looked pale and Sora knew he was hurting.

"Old fashioned way." Sora replied, grinning. "There's a door in the back. Come on."

The pair slowly made their way to the rear of Cid's shop. Sora tried the knob of the moogle shop above Cid's. Luckily, the door swung open, though there were no moogles to be seen, and the pair went inside.

"Well, if we have to wait, at least we'll have shelter." Riku murmured, staring at the pristine moogle shop. Sora nodded and made for the trap door.

He dropped down easily into the dark and dusty shop of Cid's and began his hunt. When he found what he was looking for, he called for Riku. Together, the pair examined the old CB radio.

"You sure it's going to work?" Riku asked the younger boy, holding a great distrust for electronics.

"No." Sora answered honestly. "But what choices do we have?"

Riku made a noise and reached to turn the thing on. It crackled stubbornly but it didn't give up, glowing to life as it caught a clear signal. Sora fooled with the knob until he found a working channel.

"Cid? Leon? Anyone in Radiant Garden do you copy? Donald? Goofy? King Mickey? This is Sora, over."

The line crackled static. Sora tried again. More static. Riku sighed and moved away to look for a light switch or a duster, leaving Sora to try and get them a ride. Sora called on everyone he knew who had accessible worlds, trying over and over. Finally, finally someone responded.

"Sora? Sora! It's so good to hear you!"

Sora grinned. "Aerith! Oh man, am I so happy to hear you! I've been calling out for hours."

The reply was garbled by static. "–patrol. Do you need something?"

"A ride." Sora told her a condensed version of what happened.

"Cid is heading back from Traverse Town's direction. I'll give him a call and have him pick you up."

"Great! You're the best!"

Aerith laughed. "I'll see you when you get here, Sora."

Sora turned to Riku when the radio finally went dead and found his boyfriend staring at a dusty picture frame. Sora sidled over and saw Cid's likeness grinning back at them. With him were other people, some Sora recognized, some Sora didn't. "Riku?"

"It feels like I should know them," Riku said softly. "I never knew my real parents, you know, but it always felt like my life on Destiny Islands was an attempt to keep me away."

Sora looked from Riku to the picture and back again. "You'll get to meet some of them. Maybe someone will know your real parents and we can find them after we get Kairi."

Riku smiled. "Yeah."

"So cheer up, yeah? C'mon, let's clean this place. I know where Cid used to hide all his good stuff."

Kairi paced the room, clasping and unclasping her hands. So she finally knew what Kadaj had meant by 'another princess'. Naminé. Naminé, her Nobody, was the Princess of Heart of Sunrise Town. And she wasn't alone. As Kairi sat watching the monitor under Jenova's careful gaze, she saw Roxas, a boy who looked identical to Riku save for butter yellow irises, a darker version of Sora, Saïx, Demyx, Zexion, Xigbar, Marluxia, and of course, Axel. She met members of the Order, Sunrise Town's Organization XIII, she supposed and only those who were in residence, like Kadaj, and his brothers Loz and Yazu; Tifa and her partner Diablo; a silent man who simply called himself Vincent; Tseng and Rude; Zidane and his brother Kuja; and the ever mysterious 'Leader' who had not offered his name or a glimpse at his face.

She'd spent a few days just trying to adjust and take in everything, getting used to the Order's pets – the Emblem Zeroes, a canine-like Heartless. One had taken quite a liking to her and Kairi had taken to calling him Bastion, like Hollow Bastion. Rufus had told her Emblem Zeroes usually tried to avoid those not in the Order, as sort of a professional courtesy. But since Bastion seemed to be without a master or mistress, he'd chosen her and since Kairi was a Princess, Bastion had appointed himself her guardian.

Not that Kairi minded. He helped her avoid getting lost in the Palace. "But now I can't avoid Naminé," Kairi moaned. "I don't know the first thing to say to her."

Bastion whuffed and dusted the floor with his spider-silk tail. Kairi was on her fifth circuit of pacing when the door to the office opened and Naminé eased inside. She put her fingers to her lips when she made eye contact with Kairi and closed the door, quickly locking it.

"What's going on?" Kairi asked in a whisper.

"My guards think I'm incapable of talking with you alone." Naminé answered. "They are, after all, male."

"Of course."

Naminé moved closer to Kairi and gestured for the mulberry-haired girl to take a seat. Kairi stared at her Nobody in awe. Her hair flowed free, clipped back by a set of blue diamond barrettes. She wore a plain white tank top and pants, and over the tank top was an off-the-shoulders, bottom of the ribcage length red wrap-around that tied at her hips. Her feet were clad in combat boots, and at her hips were two guns. One looked to be an ordinary handgun; the other…

"It's an Evoker." Naminé said, smiling.

"A what?"

"An Evoker. I load it with special bullets that summon elemental creatures."

"Like Sora, with Simba?"

Naminé shook her head. "That's different. Simba was a lost soul who wanted to go home. The spirits I summon are… well, they're like gods, I suppose."

Kairi rubbed her cheek. "It's one of those things I'll understand when I see it, isn't it?"

"Probably."

The girls sat in silence for a long while. Then Kairi got to her feet and paced. "How are you here?"

"I'm not sure myself. The closest theory we have is that since you and Sora still exist, so do Roxas and I. But neither Roxas or I have hearts, so the idea is that the spirit wanted to live so badly it manifested."

"In shorter words, you don't have the slightest clue."

"Yeah." Naminé sighed. "Pretty much."

"What do you do here anyway?"

"Besides annoy my protectors? I welcome new arrivals and try to get them acclimated." Naminé sighed. "And act as referee for Roxas and Kaoru."

Kairi smiled. "Kaoru?"

"Yes?"

Both girls jumped when the quiet tenor voice broke into their conversation and Kairi turned to stare at the gold-eyed Riku. "You're Kaoru?" Kairi asked lamely.

That silver head bobbed once. "I'm your Riku's shadow." He replied and then turned his attention to Naminé. "We've been looking all over for you."

Naminé groaned. "I've been here the whole time!"

"We know that know. How are you feeling?"

Naminé was quietly sputtering, Kairi saw. "I'm fine. Why?"

"Roxas collapsed a half-hour ago and won't wake up." Kaoru said without much inflection, but Kairi saw the worried tic in his hands. Naminé was up in a flash, Kairi right behind her with Bastion at her heels, and Kaoru quickly led them down to the hospital where almost everyone who knew Roxas was gathered. Kairi clasped her hands together and prayed that Sora was all right, wherever he was.


	4. Chapter 4

IV

This Safe Place had far less light than Axel's Safe Place, as though it were muted. There was light there, a brilliant red and blue and white and yellow light, but it was trapped beneath grey clouds. Why? What made this Safe Place different? The fingers touch sticky gauze, the grey, and realization dawns. This Safe Place belonged to Roxas who shared a Safe Place with Sora. That wouldn't do. The two were like night and day, different despite being the same. They should be separate. But how to do that?

Ponder for a while. Couldn't go back to Axel's Safe Place, but think. What did Axel's Safe Place have that Roxas' Safe Place didn't?

Light.

But how to separate Roxas from Sora?

Think. Of course! Sora had his own light, Roxas didn't. So Roxas needed a light of his own! But where to get that light? Axel's Safe Place was full of light, but that was Axel's light. Think. Roxas needed light. What was light? What made light bright? Hearts. Hearts created light, and since Roxas didn't have a heart of his own, he had no light. Well, maybe that should be fixed.

Fingers delve into the grey, poking and prodding, peeling back the shroud as if it were simply a rind on a fruit, pulling the grey away from Sora's light. The grey was reluctant to let go, but eventually, it peeled away leaving the hands full of sticky grey cloud. When it refuses to glow on its own, confusion sweeps in until realization comes from a long-shadowed memory. Holding Roxas' grey in one hand, the other delves into the body's chest, peeling back the shell of skin to get at the piece of Self within. That Self glimmers and shines with an inextinguishable light and at once the answer is found. That Self and Roxas' Grey came together when the hands clap and for a moment the grey bulges and grows like a toy volcano if you add too much baking soda. But the bulging stops soon enough, and then the Grey just simply sits there in the palms, doing nothing. Why won't it glow? Was something wrong? Before a sigh could escape in a defeatist manner, the Grey began to swirl around the Self like gases swirling to create a star. Maybe it was a star that was forming, for a tiny pinprick of light appeared in the center of the Grey.

Over the few hours, that pinprick grew larger, until the Grey became a swirling mass of sky blue and royal purple with hues of red and orange swirling closer to the center. A steady pulse came from the Grey and a Heart was born. A smile. Now this Safe Place could be left, but first some sleep. Yes. Sleep sounds good.

Sora rubbed his temples as if to alleviate a headache. He'd fallen asleep an hour after Cid had arrived to get both him and Riku and the next think he saw when he woke up was Aerith's face close to his own as she set a cool cloth on his forehead. He'd immediately protested, saying he was fine and was going to get up when Riku appeared and simply stared at him with an odd look in his aquamarine eyes. Sora chose to stay in bed for another couple hours and when he was allowed to get up, he went in search of his boyfriend.

He found Riku standing on the precipice of the Great Maw, staring off into the distance at something. Slowly, the brunette approached and put an arm around Riku's waist.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked softly.

"It feels familiar." Riku answered. "This place, parts of it. Like I've been here before, but it wasn't me."

"Maybe you're remembering things from your time in the Darkness. I mean, we did get screwed up in the castle."

Riku didn't look too sure. "Maybe."

"C'mon, let's go back. Maybe someone has some information for us."

Riku nodded slightly and turned to follow Sora back into the town, wondering why it felt like there were eyes on his back. Leon – whose real name was Squall, Riku had learned – and Cloud met them at the entrance to the village. Almost right away, Riku was on edge, staring at Cloud as though the man would suddenly leap upon him and strangle him. Cloud seemed to react almost the same way to Riku, though a look crossed his face that was painful, as if a memory had come forward unbidden and opened a horrible wound.

Sora didn't notice. "What's up?"

Leon flicked a glance to Cloud. "Sephiroth's been sighted. Since you beat the shit out of him, we had a feeling he'd try to return the favour."

Cloud made an agreeing noise, blue Mako eyes on Riku's aquamarine. Neither said a word.

"You don't really think he'd try?" Sora asked, pulling Riku with him as he hurried after Leon.

Leon shrugged. Cloud snorted.

Safe within Merlin's house Riku and Sora were treated to a nice lunch of peach tea and cheese sandwiches. The conversation changed from Sora's stories of what happened after he left Radiant Garden, to Destiny Island, to Kairi's kidnapping and then to any stories and information Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid had to tell. Cloud stayed ever silent, staring at Riku.

Aerith looked over to the blonde and frowned. "Cloud? Is something wrong?"

Mako blue flicked to Aerith. Slowly Cloud shook his head. "No. Nothing's wrong."

"Are you sure?"

Cloud grunted and Aerith let it drop with a sigh. Conversation resumed to normal. Riku soon excused himself to go for a walk and Cloud quickly followed. Sora was next, hurrying to find his boyfriend and the anti-social spike-head, hoping they weren't killing each other. Instead he found the two just about to square off, Riku's hand tightening around the hilt of Way to Dawn as Cloud's tightened on his Buster Sword. They never moved, at least as far as Sora could see, and the moment Cloud made to shove off at the silver-haired boy, he quickly changed direction and launched himself at Sora. The brunette gave a strangled yell and fell back against the black leather-clad legs that certainly didn't belong to Leon.

Shit.

Sora ducked forward and executed Dodge Roll just before Cloud impacted. He slung himself toward Riku, staring up into the wide eyes of his boyfriend. Above, swords crashed together, over and over, and the two teenagers looked up at the continuation of a battle that had been raging for years. Cloud broke away and pointed at the younger pair, saying something they couldn't hear. Whatever it was, it made Sephiroth pause, his sword falling to his side as he relaxed his stance and turned a piercing green gaze onto Sora. No. Not Sora. Riku.

Cloud pointed again, more emphatic.

"What is he saying?" Sora asked, growing as tense as Riku.

"I wish I knew."

Sephiroth's head swung back to Cloud and Cloud simply nodded at whatever had been said. As if a truce had been called, both Cloud and Sephiroth maneuvered their way down to Riku and Sora. Cloud pulled Sora to the side and the brunette almost protested. Until he really looked at Sephiroth and Riku.

Sora nearly choked.

Except for Riku's lighter eyes and slighter build, they looked identical. Cloud seemed exceptionally proud.

"Cloud? What's going on?" Sora asked.

"I remembered." Cloud replied quietly. "I remembered and I remembered I'd promised to tell. So I did."

It obviously made sense to Cloud, so Sora didn't push. But neither did he stay by Cloud's side, moving back over to Riku and taking hold of his hand so there was no mistaking who Riku belonged to. An elegant silver eyebrow rose. Riku simply blushed.  
"Sora." Sephiroth said easily, as if he were greeting an old friend.

"Sephiroth." Sora replied in an equally colourless voice.

Sephiroth's lips twitched into a smirk. Sora thought he was very brave indeed when he didn't flinch. "What are you doing, Sora?"

"Riku is mine."

"So I understand. However, Riku also belongs to me and so if you'd let go, I won't kill you."

"Riku doesn't belong to you!"

"Sora."

"Shut up, Riku."

"Sora, he says he's my father."

"Shut– what?"

Sora turned to look at Riku, looking into those aquamarine eyes and frowning. "Your father?"

Riku nodded. "I don't quite understand it myself but… yeah. Sephiroth is my father."

Sora looked back to Sephiroth then and prudently stepped behind Riku. Sephiroth just stared at him over Riku's shoulder and Sora felt Cloud shift and ready himself for an attack if he had to. Finally, all seemed like it would finally settle down, and Riku finally moved a step forward, reaching out to touch Sephiroth, as if to assure himself the man was real.

"Isn't that cute? The family is almost back together."

The four turned almost as one to stare up at a quartet of black-hooded figures up on the small cliff overlooking the construction site. Only one of the four seemed to be having fun, while the others seemed almost a little miserable.

"What do you know?" Sephiroth snapped.

"Oh, enough," the female one of the group replied. "We all know about you Sephiroth. What you did to him."

Sephiroth twitched. The female continued. "Don't tell me you forgot. He's going to be upset you know. Who else have you forgotten? Oh, What about your eldest? What about the rest of us? And Cloud, don't think you're off the hook either. Or Cid."

Sora thought a storm was coming until he realized it was Sephiroth snarling. "Who are you?"

"Guess." The four said in unison.

"We're only here to deliver a message to Sora the Keyblade Master and Riku the Shadow-walker."

"Time is running out, one has fallen. Not the princess, but her knight's shadow. If you've forgotten look in a mirror."

"Come to the place where those who are forgotten gather. Then you'll get Kairi back."

Sora snarled viciously. "Stop playing games!"

"Who's playing?" the smallest asked. "You'll find the place or you won't. There is no maybe. Here's a clue. Both you and Sephiroth can find the way, maybe Cloud if he tried."

A black portal swirled up behind the four, and the smallest let go of a paper airplane made from photo paper. One by one, the cloaked quartet disappeared into the portal and just as Sephiroth caught the paper airplane, the portal had closed. He unfolded the airplane and stared at the photo. Cloud peered over his shoulder and let out an animalistic sound of rage. On the glossy paper stood an image of Sephiroth without his wing surrounded by two other people. Their faces were obscured: a girl's and a man's. Riku shuddered.

"What is it?" Sora asked in a whisper.

Riku looked at his boyfriend and tried to smile. "I think the one next to the girl is my mom."

"Which one?"

"The one with the belt."

Sora swallowed and kept his mouth shut. There was a look in Sephiroth's eyes that threatened to kill the next person that spoke and Sora didn't feel like dying today.


	5. Chapter 5

V

Roxas wasn't the only one afflicted by the strange illness that had put him into a coma. Not a week later, Naminé fell under, then Demyx, Saïx, Zexion, and Xigbar. Marluxia was the last and he remained asleep for a good few weeks. It was over as quickly as it had begun and Kairi knew she wasn't the only one who was confused. And since Axel was the only one of the old Organization that had escaped this epidemic, he was the one Kairi went to for answers. Those emerald eyes had stared at her for a long, long time before he finally led her – and Bastion – out of the Palace for a long walk around Sunrise Town.

"Long story short is that I've had a heart from the get-go." Axel replied in answer to Kairi's question. "I sort of played spy for everyone and needed to keep my ass alive."

"So all those fake deaths Sora told me about, they were just illusions?"

"Pretty much."

Kairi blinked. "Okay. Doesn't explain everything else."

"It does. They didn't have hearts. Now they do."

"How can you be sure?"

Axel blushed and coughed to hide it. "Call it investigation."

"I read yaoi Axel." Kairi said with a grin.

"You spy on Sora and Riku." Axel corrected. "That's watching."

"Potatoes, potahtoes." Kairi took a sip of the lemonade Axel handed her. "What else is going on?"

Axel chewed on his lower lip for a few minutes. "First you have to understand there are puppet-masters in this world. They pull the strings and watch us dance. But some of these puppet-masters only watch; they never interfere. There are only three of them and I can't tell you their names. We simply call them the Watchers. You could say it was them who created Kingdom Hearts. Below them are the Seekers – three Knights who look for and obtain new Keyblades and worlds. Then there are the Keyblade Masters, Sora, Roxas, Tenkuu and Kaoru."

"Why not Riku?" Kairi asked.

"Riku's in a category all his own." Axel replied. "He was a Keyblade Master for a short time, but his soul rejected it. After Ansem, Xemnas' Heartless, took hold of him, his light and darkness fused into Way to Dawn. It's the only sword of its kind."

"Which means?"

"Riku is a Creator. There's only one other Creator in existence." Axel sighed. "A Creator can make their own weapon, open up portals to the Dark Corridors from anywhere, not just at an anchor point. Riku could probably make his own world if he wanted to."

Kairi blinked and let out a breath. "He doesn't know, does he?"

"And probably never will."

Kairi pondered all she had been told while they walked, enjoying her lemonade. "Okay, so it goes like this: The Watchers watch us but don't interfere, the Seekers look for stuff, then the Masters, so where does that put the rest of us?"

"It goes Watchers, Seekers, Creators, Princesses, Masters, world Leaders, and then the rest of us." Axel gave a grin. "The Order is mixed in there somewhere, but it's so vast nobody really knows who's in it except those who are in it."

"Well, that kind of sucks," Kairi said. "Okay, now I sort of get it. Everyone has hearts who didn't have them before, everyone's in some sort of caste in some sort of hierarchy, but those two things really don't count in the end."

"Pretty much."

Kairi finished her drink and pitched it into a nearby trashcan. "And despite this Heart-giving sickness, nothing bad has happened."

"You mean you haven't seen why you've been kidnapped."

"I knew you were smart."

Axel stuck his tongue out at Kairi. "We don't know why there hasn't been an Enigma attack. Maybe they just got bored."

"Enigma? How can they get bored?"

Axel shrugged and began leading Kairi back toward the Palace. "It's difficult to explain Enigma. They're, as far as we can tell, a cross between Heartless and Nobodies. They don't just devour hearts – they devour everything. As for how they get bored." Axel shrugged again.

The pair walked in silence then, Kairi dwelling on the new information she had learned. The Palace was alive with activity when they returned inside and Axel just smiled, patted Kairi on the back, and disappeared. Bastion gave a whine when the Princess snarled a nasty and pithy remark about redheads.

"That's not a safe place to stand, Princess."

Kairi turned to stare into the midnight-blue eyes of Tenkuu and the gold eyes of Kaoru. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn she was staring at Sora and Riku. Tenkuu smiled gently. "It is strange, isn't it?" he asked. "When you look at us, you see your friends. When we look at you, we see Naminé."

"I'm not scared or anything." Kairi quickly replied.

Tenkuu laughed. "I didn't say you were. We were asked to find you. It seems you're going to go with us."

"With you where?"

"Off world." Kaoru folded his arms over his chest. "The President was against it, but he was overruled."

"By who?"

"The Leader of the Order."

Since Kairi had yet to meet the Leader of the Order, the statement didn't have quite as much an impact on her as it probably should have. Kaoru gestured and Kairi fell into step beside Tenkuu. Since coming to Sunrise Town, Kairi had spent most of her time in the company of Axel, Demyx, Roxas, and Naminé, or any combination of the aforementioned. She hadn't felt comfortable around Kaoru and it certainly showed in his detached attitude toward her. She hadn't quite gotten to know Tenkuu.

Naminé told her he was Sora's shadow, like Kaoru was Riku's. In fact, Riku had created him about four years ago, when the whole adventure had first begun. Tenkuu had grown as Sora had grown, standing almost a full head taller than Kaoru. His skin was a rich brown, his hair a dark chestnut, and his eyes an exquisite midnight blue. But he was quiet, unlike Sora, and was easy enough to talk to. Kaoru, on the other hand, seemed to calm up when Kairi got too close to him. She tried being nice, but that only seemed to upset him more, so Kairi had simply become bitingly polite.

He kind of warmed up to her then. Kind of.

Kaoru was a clone, Axel had said one day as Kairi made the comment that Kaoru was a stuck-up little prick. He held Riku's memories from four years ago, maybe longer. He was supposed to be Riku's replacement, but there was one problem – Kaoru didn't age. He was Riku at fifteen, and he would always be Riku at fifteen.

And that, Kairi surmised, hurt the most.

When all of his friends, when everyone he knew, was old and grey, he would still be the picture of youth.

"Where are we going?" Kairi asked to break the silence, not liking the depressing thoughts that were bubbling up. "What world?"

Tenkuu shrugged. "We don't know. It may be Atlantica, or the Coliseum, or even the Pride Lands. We usually don't know until we get there."

"That's a little silly, don't you think?"

Kaoru glanced back at Kairi. "Maybe."

Sighing, and hoping she could get more out of Naminé, Kairi followed the boys down to the hangar bay where several Gummi ships waited. A cloaked man waited beside Roxas and Naminé and suddenly Kaoru slowed his pace, swallowing.

"What is it?" Kairi asked, grabbing onto Kaoru's shoulders before she slammed into his back.

"It's the Leader," Tenkuu replied in a whisper, for Kaoru seemed tongue-tied.

"The Order Leader?"

"Yeah, that's the one." Tenkuu looked back at the Princess. "He's never seen anyone off before. He rarely comes out, too, so this must be really important."

Kairi swallowed and followed the two Keyblade Masters toward their waiting friends and the Order's Leader. He didn't speak to anyone, just nodded and Naminé led the group on the ship. Kairi turned to find Kaoru hugging the man, eyes closed tight as if he couldn't bear to leave him. A number of ideas flashed through the brunette girl's mind, but she bit her tongue to keep her mouth from running away with itself.

She hurried to her seat before Kaoru saw her watching, but she knew she'd been caught. She shivered at the sight of that one glowing green-brown eye staring at her from beneath that black hood. When Kaoru boarded, no one said a word. Kairi knew then that this was something special; something she had just witnessed held great meaning for everyone. Kairi wished she knew what. Maybe then she wouldn't feel like such an outsider.

"You really think it's safe to let the children go off like that?" Rufus asked, watching the Gummi ship become a twinkle in the dawn sky.

"I don't know," replied the Order Leader.

"Leave him alone Rufus," Tifa said with folded arms. "You'd do the same in his place."

"That's what I'm worried about." Rufus turned to face the two Order members. "Reno and Elena never checked in."

The Order Leader twitched. "…They went home?"

Rufus nodded. He slammed his fist on his desk. "I should have sent all four."

"No."

Rufus' burning blue eyes snapped onto the Order Leader. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I remember them." The man said slowly. "Reno from Before, Elena from His memories. They are strong. They are safe."

"How can you be sure?"

"I'm not. But I trust them."

Rufus deflated a little bit and sighed. "I suppose I should trust you. You seem to know everything."

"Not everything." The Leader replied in an amused tone. "They'll come back. Turks are harder to kill than cockroaches. Especially Reno."

Tifa snickered. "That's true." She paused, listening. "Diablo's calling. Seems there's a slight Nobody infestation in the Theatre District." She waggled her fingers in a farewell and left the men alone.

Rufus steepled his fingers. "They completed their task then?"

"The bait has been set," the Leader said softly. "They will take it."

"How is your… son doing?"

"Which one?" The Order Leader laughed softly. "Malchus is pining for Kaoru, but he knows Kaoru won't disappear. Riku… Riku is about to discover darkness sings in his blood."

"Zack…"

"No one has used that name with me in a long time."

"Everyone's too afraid."

Gloved hands rose to pull back the hood of the tattered black jacket, revealing glowing woodland eyes and spiked black hair that fell gently about thin shoulders. "They are afraid of what that name will induce."

Rufus stared at those eyes, seeing timelessness in them, coupled by years of madness, sadness, anger. He watched those eyes shiver and shake and still to reveal horrible, twisted nightmares of a time long forgotten. Zack raised his hood again, shielding his eyes from sight.

"Just remember," Rufus said softly as Zack turned to leave, "you gave up Riku to protect him. You have your heart to save his father. Malchus remembers you. He will too."

Zack left without a word.

Rufus sat down in his chair and rubbed his eyes. Lies within lies; a tangled web of lives and agendas. He looked out the window and hoped the kids would be okay.

Wherever they were going.


	6. Chapter 6

VI

The lungs burn, the legs burn. Exhaustion takes the body in its sharp teeth and shakes it to pieces. Crying, maybe, because something must have broken. There had been a snap in the darkness and suddenly pain was everywhere. Just get up and run, ignoring the pain and the burn. The last Safe Place was far, far behind, too late to turn around and go back. Axel and Roxas and Demyx, Zexion and Marluxia and Saïx and Xigbar – they couldn't help now.

So exhausted…

Velvet changes to sand under bruised and hurting feet. Wet stains follow the prints, like blood. There are noises behind, not the pipirrups from before, but larger, more deadly. Howls rise like wind, scenting prey, and the shifting sands make it harder to run. Sharp stones cut unprotected feet, opening and widening wounds. So incredibly tired.

Waves crash against a shore and immediately hope surges through the body in new energy. Water. Even if it would burn, the water was safe. Despite the burning and the slipping, the water grows closer and hope surges.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The voice is oily, foul, and it freezes the body. Fear and rage forced the body to move, to crawl if it had to, toward the water.

"You've eluded me for far too long. Did you really think you could escape? Once I have you, I only need to collect the other two, and I'll have all I need."

No! Go away! Leave me alone!

"You can't resist me. Not even the greatest SOLDIER could. Come to me. I won't hurt you."

No! Stay away from me! I don't trust you. Get away!

Snarling comes from behind, but it is too late. Water crashes closed above the body and the swift current carries it away, far beyond the reach of the things prowling on the beach. Spindly fingers curl together as the ripples in the water slow and the surface once more becomes still. A high-pitched whine issues forth then, and a chorus of howls take up the call. The time for play is over. Now it is time to hunt.

"You can't run forever Xemnas. Oh, no, you can't."

Reno's back crashed against jagged stone, and if he hadn't been prepared for it, the rocks most certainly would have torn his back to shreds. As it was, he was able to get his hands behind him quick enough to soften his blow and propel himself to the side, avoiding the massive body that leapt after him. Somewhere, he'd lost his electric rod, which left him with only his standard Turk-issue pistol. Only problem was Reno was such a bad shot, odds where he'd end up killing his partner than the Enigma attacking them.

Enigma were a cross between Heartless and Nobodies as far as they knew. They came in all shapes and sizes, ranging from black to white and the occasional purple flying enemy. They were always hungry and devoured everything of their victim and usually were very messy eaters. These particular ones were about the size of a gorilla, covered in what looked to be goose feathers with a lion's head and a rat's tail. Oh, and their claws were covered in some sort of corrosive poison.

Reno ducked a swipe and bolted, leaping up rocks like a mountain lion. As ungraceful as he was, he gained a little time for it took the Enigma a few minutes to figure out how to get after him. Reno slid down the other side, passing hidden explosives as he went. The Enigma came crashing down behind him and one by one the explosives detonated. Reno was many things, but 'idiot' wasn't one of them right now, and he kept running until he spotted his partner ducking back down behind a large boulder. Reno dove behind that boulder just before the cloud of dust and debris washed over them, along with the guttural howl/snarl of the Enigma.

Elena loaded a bullet into her pistol's chamber. "That didn't work."

"Pissed it off." Reno replied, out of breath. "Are the lines still dead?"

"Yeah." The blonde woman tossed him a cell phone, and Reno stared at the dead thing for a minute before dropping it in the rubble at his feet. "We're going to die here," Elena whispered.

"No we're not." Reno rubbed his face. "Can you open a portal?"

Elena shot him a glare. "We tried that already, remember?"

Unfortunately, Reno did remember, and he winced. "Then I'm all out of ideas."

"And I'm almost out of ammo. I've got all rounds loaded and four extra."

The two Turks stared at each other for a long while.

"We have to try and run." Reno said finally. "Try and get to high ground."

"And who dies?" Elena asked. Reno had no answer for her.

They'd been sent to this miserable backwater planet in the hopes of finding some way to defeat the Enigma scourge that was terrorizing neighbouring worlds. They hadn't thought the beasts could have spread here as fast as they had. Opening a portal would bring more Enigma down on them and they had no more options after fighting or running. One of them might escape if luck was with them, otherwise they would become a fond memory in the hearts of their loved ones.

A shadow covered them and a long line of green drool puddled between them. Both Turks looked up at sharp teeth and bolted. The Enigma leapt after them, howling in glee of the chase. Over the rocky terrain the two humans ran, Elena taking every opportunity to empty a clip into the Enigma, but it did little to deter it. The pair needed cover, but between cover and them was a wide-open field. Reno skidded to a stop and grabbed Elena before she went over the side of the cliff and dragged her back, leading her down a slope. The Enigma scrabbled on the edge and unfortunately found purchase to clamber back up and continue after the two Order members.

Their lungs and legs were burning and they were tiring. A few more relentless minutes and they would be overtaken. Reno pulled Elena after him, hurrying without the energy he needed, moving down into the ravine. Too late did he realize his mistake, and when the redhead tried to turn around and go back up, it was too late. The Enigma and two of its friends were waiting at the top, crouched and ready to spring. Green drool dribbled down their jaws as they came closer. Elena lifted her gun, panting.

Click. Click.

The two Turks stared at each other in disbelief. The Enigma howled in victory of the hunt. Elena let out a scream of denial as the first Enigma jumped.

Perhaps it was instinct. Perhaps, somewhere, Reno just knew what was going to happen. It felt like a slow-motion dream as Reno fell backwards, pulling Elena down with him as that giant Buster Sword soared over their heads and into the face of the Enigma. The sheer momentum of the old sword shore the monster's face in half and continued through the body. Reno stayed down and felt hot blood against him as the sword swung back, out of the Enigma carcass. A boot scuffed on stone and the Buster Sword sang again, crashing into another Enigma's middle, cutting it in half. A spinning follow-through combined with an upward swing took off teeth of the last Enigma, and one foot crossed over the other as the massive weapon swung down in an arching spin, cutting down on the Enigma's spine as the wielder dodged a strike.

Reno opened his eyes when all went quiet and he stared at the three dead Enigma, wincing at the viciousness with which they had been torn apart. Finally, his gaze rose to rest on their saviour and Reno thought his heart might stop.

"Cloud?"

The swordsman twitched and turned to face Reno and Elena. No, this wasn't Cloud, Reno realized, swallowing. That hair was too dark a blonde, and those eyes too dark a blue. Besides that, they didn't glow. The boy's – for he certainly was that – body was clothed in old black leather, an outfit pieced together from several different outfits. Even his boots lacked laces, held on his feet by small buckled belts. Two knives were sheathed at his hips, and a waist-satchel was tied to his belt. A bracelet made of silver wrapped around his left wrist, and Reno knew the orbs glinting in that metal setting were Materia orbs. That broadsword swung up and over a small shoulder and slid easily into a sheath on the boy's back.

Elena shuddered. "That's Denzel." She whispered.

Reno felt his face drain of colour. "What?"

"It's not safe here," the boy, Denzel?, said in a quiet voice. "More will come. This way."

The swordsman led the two exhausted Order members out of the ravine, through a cliff pass the two had not seen before. He led them to a shack hidden in a thorn thicket and let them inside.

"Denzel?" Elena asked once more. "Are you really Denzel?"

The boy looked at her and shrugged. "I don't remember. Maybe. The people here call me thinks like Woodwalker and Demon-Slayer. I like Denzel better though."

Reno sat heavily in a chair and stared at the boy. He was the right age to be Denzel. When Marlene arrived in Sunrise Town, a huge effort had been put into finding Denzel, but there had been no trace of the boy. He had thought to have been lost, like a lot of people had been. Reno flicked a glance to Elena. There was one way to tell. She nodded and reached for Denzel, carefully brushing away his bangs. He slapped her hand away in an instant, but the two had seen it.

Geostigma.

"It came back, didn't it?" Elena asked.

Denzel rubbed his arm. "Came back. Spread. It killed a lot of us because Midgar was gone and the pool was gone. I survived. It changed me. I had to learn."

"And the sword?"

Denzel blinked and smiled. "Don't you recognize it?"

Reno and Elena looked at each other, then to the sword. Finally, they shook their heads a negative. Denzel laughed.

"It's Zack's sword. He told me to take it. He said it was time for it to wake up."

Reno and Elena exchanged glances. Elena looked back to Denzel. "Zack told you?"

Denzel chewed at his thumbnail. "I can hear all of those that are gone. I heard you, that's how I found you."

"All of those that are gone?" Reno asked. "Those that are forgotten?"

Denzel gave a short nod. "The voices are loud, so I block them out." He tapped the headphones around his neck. "But I heard you calling for help, so I came."

Reno looked at Elena. "You really think he's our Denzel?"

Elena shrugged. "I don't know," she said finally, "but he's our Denzel now."

Denzel laughed. "Of course I'm your Denzel. There was never another me like there was another Aerith and Cloud. There was never another you. So when everything broke, you stayed you."

"There are answers in that skull of yours that we're gonna have to play games to get, isn't there?"

"Maybe."

Reno shook his head and rose. "We have to go back to Sunrise Town. We have to make a report."

"What about him?" Elena asked.

Denzel looked at them questioningly before realization appeared in those dark blue eyes. "I'll go too."

"That settles it then," Reno said. "We can leave in an hour."


	7. Chapter 7

VII

Sora found Riku staring at the picture the Nobodies had given Sephiroth. Riku often stared at it, as if the marred faces would suddenly become clear and he would have all the answers. They were still in Radiant Garden, trying to convince Cid to fly them around – or at least let them borrow a Gummi ship. Cid, unfortunately, kept refusing and nothing Aerith or Yuffie tried, he would not relent. Sora had half a mind to just steal a ship and be done with it.

"Riku?"

Sora winced as his boyfriend jumped at the sound of the voice breaking through his reverie. Riku looked at Sora and tried to smile. The brunette just moved to sit beside him, laying his head on the silver-haired boy's shoulder, staring at the picture.

"He really is your dad, isn't he?" Sora asked quietly. He felt Riku shudder.

"Yeah," The older boy replied in a whisper. "There are holes in his memory, though, so I only know a little. He remembers almost nothing about my mother. All he can tell me is that I'm just like him."

"Him? Just like your father?"

"No. Him." Riku pointed to the blurred face of the man with the strange belt. "My mother."

Sora thought for a moment. "A man can't be a birth-mom!" He yelled finally, staring with wide-eyes at Riku.

Riku's aquamarine eyes clouded over. "In Midgar, one can. I have an older brother, too. Malchus." He shuddered. "Why was I the one chosen Sora? Why was I the one given up?"

"Maybe because your mom wanted to protect you." Sora said, looking away from Riku. "My mom told me stories from when she was little. She said that there was a great war going on where she used to live and she ran away with her mom. She left behind her sister and her father and nothing her mom tried could get them to come to Destiny Islands."

"But that's different. I was given up as a baby, not a child."

"Who says you were given up?" Sora asked, growing just a little angry. "What if your mom sent you away to keep you from getting caught up in shit? What if he was in trouble and was willing to die to protect you? So say he had kept you. With that world gone, you'd be dead!"

Riku's eyes sharpened when he looked at Sora. "You don't understand."

"I understand plenty." Sora bit out. "I never knew my father. He left Mom before I was ever born. Mom worked hard to raise me and had to live with the stigma of being a single mom, being thought a slut because she had no husband. You may have been adopted, had a mom and a dad who loved you very much, but you'll never know what it's like to be teased because you're not like everyone else." Sora heaved a sigh and calmed himself. "Sorry."

Riku watched him for a long time before he looked back at the photo, shoulders shaking. "No. I'm sorry."

Sora wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders and drew him close, resting his cheek against Riku's soft hair. "If your dad, Sephiroth, doesn't remember, then your mom has to." Sora whispered. "All we do is find him and get answers."

"I don't think it'll be that easy to find him." Riku replied quietly.

"Of course it will." Sora said brightly. "Remember what those Nobodies said? We have to go where the forgotten gather. I can find the way, and so can Sephiroth!"

"Forgotten." Riku said. Realization dawned on him. "Forgotten, not dead!"

"Right! If we can get a Gummi ship, and find enough clues, we can go to where the forgotten gather! Then we can find Kairi, and I bet your mom will be there too!"

Riku pulled back, grinning. Then he paused. "There's just one problem."

"What is it?"

"We don't have a Gummi ship. Hell, we don't even have any clues." Riku sighed.

Sora echoed him. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, frowning. Left and right his head went, tracing memories to try and find clues. "Wait. One of them said if I didn't remember to look in a mirror."

Riku looked at Sora, confused. "A mirror?"

"I know, sounds crazy, but." Sora trailed off. He got to his feet and helped Riku up. "What else have we got?"

"Then let's find a mirror."

The boys hurried from the construction site, looking everywhere for a suitable mirror. How hard could it be to find a mirror? Apparently, very difficult, for no matter what house they looked in, they couldn't find a mirror, and no woman would let them borrow her compact, if she had one. At a loss, Sora and Riku went to find some lunch, learned no progress had been made with Cid, and grumbled about cranky old men. They spent a good hour walking around Radiant Garden, beating up defenseless Heartless, before Sora happened to glimpse his reflection in a window. He paused and back-pedaled, staring at his reflection for a long while.

Riku turned to look at him, confused. "Sora?"

"Shh." Sora replied, moving closer to his reflection. Look in a mirror, the Nobody had said. A mirror was a reflection, an image of the self, just reversed. Reversed? "No. Oh, no, no."

"What?" Riku asked, moving closer to his boyfriend.

Sora pointed at his reflection. "Look in a mirror, you see your reflection. My 'mirror' is Roxas."

Riku's eyebrows rose. "So what's that mean?"

"Well, either we have to go to Twilight Town," Sora began slowly, "or we'll find the place where the forgotten gather if we find Roxas."

Riku and Sora exchanged glances. "So. Find Roxas." Riku said.

Sora rubbed his cheek. "Find Roxas."

Roxas sneezed hard enough for his head to slam into Tenkuu's shoulder, and the younger boy stared at him long enough to earn a blush. Kairi and Naminé shared a giggle. Kaoru rolled his eyes. The five of them had landed on a strange planet that claimed to be called Spira, and they had walked a great distance until they came to the first village in a string along the coast. They certainly blended in, though most seemed fascinated by Kaoru's hair. He'd quickly decided to cover it up with a hat and glowered at anyone who reached for it. They had no idea what they were looking for, but Kairi surmised that was usually the case with the group. She walked side-by-side with Naminé, Kaoru in the front and Tenkuu and Roxas taking up the rear. Now they headed through a forest, enjoying the shade the branches granted them.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Kairi asked.

"Oh, you know," Tenkuu began, "the running people, the high-pitched screaming, and general chaos."

"Oh, and sometimes flying body parts." Roxas added.

Kairi looked a bit green. "Body parts?"

"Enigmas are very messy eaters." Naminé said. "If we're lucky, we won't encounter any here."

Kaoru snorted. "If we're lucky."

"I take it they're hard to kill."

"It's like fighting a behemoth with Regenerate." Kaoru muttered.

Kairi winced. "Oh."

And hour passed before the forest gave way and ruins of stone stairs started, and the five began to ascend, simply following the path. They talked of inane things, catching Kairi up, explaining rules and things she didn't know, and doing their best not to be caught off-guard. The stairs led up to a wide broken platform and Kaoru paused when they reached the center.

"Kaoru?" Naminé asked. "What's wrong?"

"Something came through here." Kaoru said. "No. Someone."

Almost immediately, Roxas and Tenkuu had their Keyblades in their hand, and even Naminé had her gun out. Kairi followed suit and summoned her staff, the words of several support spells on her tongue. The only one who remained unarmed was Kaoru and Kairi didn't believe for a second he was helpless.

"Do you know this someone?" Roxas asked the silver-haired boy.

"Maybe." Kaoru cautiously replied. "He feels familiar."

"'He'?" They all chorused.

Kaoru nodded and twitched his hand, calling in his Keyblade. Unlike Roxas' Oblivion and Oathkeeper, and Tenkuu's gold and white Kingdom Key, Kaoru's Keyblade was deep ebony and royal violet, shot through with ivory white vines that wrapped around the blade. It wasn't a 'key' in the traditional sense, rather having a wide flat blade than a round one, and it ended in a scythe curve instead of a keyhead. It was a key made to kill more than just Heartless.

Slowly, Kaoru moved forward, stepping lightly and with hardly a sound. He gestured to keep the others where they were and kept moving until he had traced out the path the Someone had taken. Then he gestured for Naminé. She didn't go alone, the other three right behind her, but when they reached Kaoru, only Naminé continued on into the brush.

Kairi could tell Roxas and Tenkuu were nervous; she was their Princess, after all. Naminé returned just as fast as she had disappeared, holding a hand much larger than hers. Kairi and Roxas looked at each other as he emerged from the brush and Kaoru frowned.

"Well," Kairi whispered, "looks like we found our reason for coming to this world."

Roxas shook his head. "Should've expected it."

Naminé pulled him into the group and held tight to his hand, giving him comfort when he knew he shouldn't have any. He recognized three of the five, four, if you counted Kaoru-who-wasn't-Riku. But they all seemed to recognize him.

"It's okay," Naminé said gently. "You're safe now, Xemnas."


	8. Chapter 8

VIII

Xemnas clutched to Naminé's hand as they walked along the forest path. His eyes were ever on the boys, Kairi noticed, as she walked on Naminé's other side. Most often, he stared at Roxas' back, looking extremely pleased. At the same time, he held tightly to Naminé's hand and looked extremely pleased, so it was hard to tell just exactly what – or who – pleased him more. Kairi was more surprised to just be walking with the man who had tried to form Kingdom Hearts and died in a battle with Sora and Riku. Though, she wasn't really sure how a Nobody could 'die', just fade, and she hadn't quite gotten around to asking Axel that one. The only one who didn't seem perturbed by the whole experience was Kaoru, who walked easily ahead, scouting. Kairi almost envied him, but then, Kaoru had the most reason to stay away from Xemnas. He didn't tell Kairi why, and Roxas' face warned her not to ask. She thought about running up ahead and asking anyway, but her heart warned her against it. So she stayed next to Naminé and Xemnas and watched the scenery go by.

She found herself wondering about Sora and Riku, hoping they were okay wherever they were, and hoped they weren't plotting the murder of her kidnapper. Kairi folded her hands behind her head and thought of home, wondering how much homework she had missed, and if Selphie had even started that science project she'd wanted Kairi's help on. She missed home and her friends, but she knew her presence here was important. She'd made new friends from old foes and if Axel had never taken her, she never would have known the adventure she was actually allowed to participate in. Naminé slipped her free hand around Kairi's wrist and gave a little squeeze. Kairi dropped her hand to take Naminé's in more fully and sighed with a half-hearted smile.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked the Sunrise Town Princess of Heart. Kairi earned a little shrug.

"I don't know." Naminé replied. "Go home, I guess."

"Home?" Xemnas' voice was rusty, disused. "Where's home?"

Naminé looked at him and smiled. "You'll love it. Lots and lots of people, a beach, and all of our friends are there."

"Friends?"

"Yep. Axel is there, and Demyx. Zexion, Saïx, Xigbar, and Marluxia. We have a lot of friends in the Order and about the town. Rita, she runs the ice cream shop on the boardwalk, would love to have you help her out."

Xemnas smiled a little. "Ice cream? Even in winter?"

"Winter hardly ever touches Sunrise Town." Naminé said with a grin.

"Yeah!" Tenkuu put in, smiling. "We don't build snowmen, just sandmen."

Xemnas chucked. "Sandmen. I… I'd like to build sandmen."

"Then that's what we'll do when we get back." Kairi said brightly. "We can build sandmen!"

Roxas looked back at the quartet at the sound of raucous laughter and couldn't help his smile. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to be nice to him, Kaoru."

Kaoru's gold eyes flicked to Roxas. "He resonates too much with the darkness in me. I can barely keep control as it is."

Roxas sucked in a breath through his teeth. "You need to find something to kill?"

"Unless you'll let me beat the crap out of you."

"I won't let you, but I'll make you work for it."

Kaoru grunted. Roxas rolled his eyes. "What's wrong? You don't normally get like this. Someone slight you or something?"

"I can be honest with you, right? You won't go telling anyone what I tell you, will you?"

"Have I ever before?"

Kaoru simply looked at Roxas. The blonde held up his hands in a sign of submission. The silver-haired boy heaved a sigh. "Xemnas is Tainted."

"Tainted?"

"He has the same… taste… as an Enigma. But it's subtle. Like the way Marluxia was, when he first arrived."

Roxas mulled this over for a few minutes. "You don't think he's secretly sending Enigma everywhere?"

"No. I think he's the last of the three. Why else would the Leader send all of us, including Kairi?" Kaoru shook his head. "Something's going to happen, and I'm going to lose it."

"We'll draw you back." Roxas promised. "We always have."

"I'm not so sure this time."

Roxas reached out to grasp Kaoru's shoulder. "Look, don't go and start believing that clone crap again. You're Kaoru, not Riku. You're the Keyblade Master of Twilight, and I'll be there with Tenkuu to put you back in your right mind. We also have two Princesses with us. You'll be fine."

Kaoru's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Roxas sighed. "You're our friend." He said gently. "We don't leave friends behind."

"Hey guys!" Naminé yelled. "We're taking a break!"

"Village is just ahead!" Kaoru yelled back. "We can rest there!"

Roxas looked at his silver-haired friend. "Why don't you want to rest now?"

"I do. Just not in the open." Kaoru glanced around them. "I didn't tell Naminé, but Xemnas didn't come through alone."

"What?"

Kaoru looked at the childlike man between the two Princesses. "He either brought something through or it piggy-backed. Personally, I wanna be in an easily defensible position if it comes to hunt."

Roxas turned to the four behind them. "Just a little further! We can rest in the village!"

Though the Princesses exchanged glances and looked at Tenkuu, who shrugged, they didn't argue and soon were in the village, off their feet and enjoying a snack besides.

Vincent pressed Death Penalty to the Enigma's head and coldly pulled the trigger. The heavy shotgun round broken through the beast's skull with ease and Vincent drew back to allow the Emblem Zeroes to feast. He turned slightly to let his crimson gaze rest on the swath of destruction he had wrought and sighed. An Emblem Zero butted its head against his thigh and he stroked its ear absently. Vincent enjoyed working alone, but he had recently taken up a silent partnership with Cait Sith, who bounced along the path they had taken, looking at the destruction. Vincent's eyes turned to find the diminutive doll and tried hard to remember that it was Reeve in that puppet body. Reeve, who had lost his human body when their world was destroyed.

"Vincent!" Cait Sith called. "Come look!"

Slowly, the immortal man made his way toward his partner, looking down at what the doll was pointing at.

"A village?" Vincent questioned quietly.

Cait Sith clambered onto the back of the Emblem Zero that had followed Vincent and crowed. "That, my friend, is Radiant Garden."

Vincent frowned. Cait Sith sighed. "Cid is there."

Those red eyes dulled. "He won't know me. That Cid is not my Cid."

"'Course it is. Body is different, but the memories will be there."

Vincent looked at the doll. "You just want to look."

"Am I that transparent?"

Vincent shook his head and sighed. There probably wasn't any harm in going to look, if that indeed was Cait's idea, but then, they had no idea how they would be accepted considering earlier antics of Kadaj, Loz, Yazu, and Tifa. Besides, Vincent really wanted to see Cid, even if this Cid wasn't the Cid he had known.

"It's not like we'd be disobeying orders." Cait Sith said slyly.

Vincent's red eyes sharpened. Finally he sighed and nodded, lifting his hood to hide his face. Death Penalty swung up and over his shoulder into the holster on his back and he picked Cait up off the Emblem Zero. It whined at being left behind, but Vincent gave it a few scratches and sighed again. Cait Sith and Vincent moved down to Radiant Garden then, hardly bothering to keep out of sight. While not a Terminal Town like Traverse, strangers weren't all that uncommon here, but there was a level of scrutiny not felt in other worlds where people lived.

Cait wanted to see everything from the shops to the construction site. Vincent kept quiet and simply observed. They were a strange sight, and more than once became the topic of public discussion. Vincent was more on guard for anyone that might want to harm them, like the young ninja girl that kept popping up here and there. If Vincent wasn't familiar with Yuffie's antics, he probably never would have known she was watching. As such, when she scuttled up behind him in an attempt to be a thief, Vincent grabbed her wrist in a firm grip and pulled her before him, inhuman strength lifting her right off the ground. For a moment after their eyes met, Vincent thought he saw recognition if Yuffie's. Then he felt the impending blow and sidestepped, bringing Yuffie with him so the broadsword's follow-through wouldn't snap her in half. He let her go to dodge the head of a spear and ducked low to avoid the swipe of a Keyblade. The immortal heaved a sigh and pulled Death Penalty from her sheath, carefully aiming at a very specific target.

As expected, everyone froze when the barrel stopped at Aerith's chest.

"What's going on?" Cait Sith asked. He hopped onto Vincent's shoulder. "Oh."

Vincent simply made a grunting noise.

"Okay," It was Yuffie, hands up in submission. "Okay. Let's not escalate anything here."

"We'll put ours away if you put yours away." Cait Sith quipped.

Vincent's eyes rested on the group. He knew some of them, and shivered when he saw the silver-haired boy, and when those weapons were sheathed or disappeared, he slid Death Penalty away.

"Does the little doll talk for you, or do you have a voice?" the brunette boy asked, then blanched as crimson orbs fell on him.

"Who are you?" Aerith asked.

"One who has been forgotten," Vincent replied. He didn't miss the looks Sora and the silver-haired boy exchanged.

Cloud shifted. "You have a name?"

"If you remember it."

Cid snarled. "Look ya bastard. You're outnumbered. Just answer our goddamned questions."

"Outnumbered? Really?" Cait Sith giggled. "Looks more like you're outnumbered."

Vincent slowly shook his head to keep the mischievous Reeve from doing anything dangerous. Or stupid. "Enough."

He raised his hands to pull back his hood and saw only Sephiroth's eyes widen in recognition. Crimson eyes warned him to keep silent and the One-Winged Angel's lips drew into a thin line. Vincent simply looked at each of the gathered and sighed silently.

"I can't tell you my name. I can't tell you where I'm from." He said slowly. "What I can tell you is that your world is changing. And yours isn't the only one."


	9. Chapter 9

IX

Axel's legs trembled. He'd been standing for seven hours straight and it didn't seem like that was going to change any time soon. Everyone seemed to be off doing some other task which took up all their time. Axel, however, had been deemed gopher and once Saïx got through with him, Axel had been run ragged. Now he was forced to stand up while he watched the monitors in the surveillance room because someone had broken the chair, and no one seemed to want to replace it. The door creaked open and Demyx poked his head in.

"You hungry?"

"I'm tired." Axel said. "I want to sit. But no, it's somehow my fault the damned chair was broken so now I'm punished."

"I could find you a box." Demyx replied with a grin.

"Box, crate, I don't care, I just want to – hello." Axel leaned forward and hummed. "The kids are back."

"Really?" Demyx moved into the room and stared at the monitor for the camera situated in the hangar. "Isn't that Xemnas?"

"Yes. Yes it is."

The two young men stared for a moment longer. Then Demyx made for the door. "I'll get Zexion!"

"Get everyone!" Axel called after him. "And the medics! It looks like they're all hurt!"

Axel didn't hear a reply if Demyx made one, but he knew he'd been heard. He stared at the screen of the television and tired not to snarl at the sight of the kids. Bloody and bruised but otherwise whole, they seemed like veterans coming out of a rough battle. He clenched his fingers around his upper arms and prayed that all of them were okay, and wished he could go down there to help. But he had to stay here, to watch the screens, to make sure no more crises arose while those who could fight were tending to their youngest comrades.

Rufus stared at Kaoru, the least hurt of the group, from over steepled fingers. Kaoru stared at him with an expressionless gaze, giving Rufus nothing to use as an emotional weapon.

"What happened?" he said in a quiet voice. He got a flinch.

"We were attacked."

"So we gathered from all reports. Except yours."

Kaoru shifted and looked at his wrapped wrist, trying to come up with an excuse or a lie or some kind of story Rufus would believe. At least, that's what Rufus thought. When Kaoru looked back at the President, Rufus couldn't help but swallowed as he tried to keep initial fear off his face. Kaoru's eyes, normally a white sclera and an amber iris, where completely black with a solid yellow iris and pupil.

"I lost control," Kaoru whispered. "I have a tenuous grip now, at best." He blinked once, and his eyes were normal once more.

"Have you seen the Leader yet?"

"Yes. He sent me here, to report to you."

Which meant Rufus had called for Kaoru before Zack had had time to leash Kaoru. And Zack had let Rufus learn this for himself. Rufus heaved a sigh and rubbed his face.

"Go back and get yourself checked out." Rufus said finally. "I expect a full report, though."

Kaoru saluted, trembled for a moment, and Rufus wondered if he shouldn't call for Tseng. But the boy simply turned on his own power and walked away, out of the office. Rufus heaved a sigh and looked over all the reports again, looking to glean something that he hadn't gotten on the first read. He had disagreed with the Leader, but hadn't fought to replace the kids with some of the Order. Perhaps what happened had been somewhat his fault as well. The blonde looked up as Tseng and Rude entered the office and his frown deepened.

"What's wrong?" Rufus asked.

"Reno and Elena finally checked in." Tseng said. "They're in what used to be Edge."

"So our world is back?"

Tseng shook his head. "By all accounts, its our world in about a hundred years in the future. Midgar, what used to be Midgar, is a forest. So is Edge. People live there still, but most are Geostigma victims."

"They also found a boy." Rude uttered lowly.

Rufus eyed the bald Turk in sunglasses. "That's not unusual."

"The boy is Denzel."

Rufus blinked. "Denzel. They're sure?"

"They're positive. He's the correct age, and he knows them. He looks like Cloud." Tseng's lips quirked as he fought the smirk. "He's wielding the Buster Sword."

Rufus sat chewing at his lower lip for a long while in silence. "Can they get back? All of them?"

"They're trying. Or at least Elena is. Reno's trying to get a full story out of Denzel, but you know Reno. Besides that, the boy has a severe case of Geostigma. It's not spreading or infectious as far as Elena can tell, but until we have a real alb to confirm it." Tseng trailed off. "Should I send someone after them?"

"Who would Denzel trust?" Rufus asked. "Sounds like they're delaying because the kid won't go in the Dark Corridors. Who would Denzel trust that we could send?"

"Tifa?" Rude put in and shrugged when Tseng looked at him sharply.

"Tifa's off-world with Diablo, surveying the Land of Dragons." Rufus said. "So they're on their own for now. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Maybe." Tseng frowned. "Vincent hasn't reported in, has he?"

Rufus shook his head. He smiled grimly. "We're spread thin, aren't we?"

"Not too thin it'll be a problem, but thin enough." Tseng heaved a sigh. "There are too many worlds for the Order to look after."

"Focus on what we have right now." Rufus said. "We'll deal with other shit when it happens."

Tseng gave the President a short bow and left with Rude, leaving Rufus alone in the dim gloom of his office. He rubbed his face, leaned back and sighed.

Kaoru losing control; Reno and Elena, stranded; Members of the Order not checking in; Xemnas appearing; Rufus heaved a sigh.

Maybe it was time to consult the Watchers.

The blonde shook his head. Not yet. He wouldn't ask them just yet. Maybe this he could solve with his own power. Finally, Rufus rose and left his office for the infirmary, hoping maybe Naminé or Roxas could shed some light on this dilemma, and Rufus could finally get some damn answers.

He hated not knowing what was going on with a violent passion. Of course, he feared the wrath of those who did know and had chosen to let him figure it out on his own. It was one of those lose-lose situations. Rufus heaved a heavy sigh and hoped Kadaj hadn't gone off-world. Rufus was going to need some… exercise… to relieve this tension.

Yeah. That's it. Exercise.

Rufus leaned his head against the elevator's metal surface and heaved a sigh. Sometimes, he hated his position.

Sephiroth stepped up behind Vincent and studied the immortal's back. The vampire had changed from the memories, black hair pulled back into an extremely childish braid, wisps of it curling loose around his shoulders. Gone was that metal arm, replaced by a flesh and bone hand. Death Penalty gleamed in the holster on Vincent's back, a reminder as to how dangerous the immortal actually was.

"I can't tell you." Vincent said softly. "I'm bound by greater powers. I can only tell you about what you remember or about who you have met."

"Why is that?"

Vincent gave an imperceptive shrug and glanced into those Mako green eyes. "Who knows?"

Sephiroth moved to stand beside the immortal and looked down at what Vincent was watching, smirking at the sight of Riku, Yuffie, and Sora toying with Cait Sith. "Tell me about Riku."

"He is your son by blood." Vincent replied.

"Why didn't I know about him?"

"You were gone when he was born. His mother gave him to me to take somewhere safe so he couldn't be used against you when the time came."

"You knew his mother?"

Vincent's lips drew into a thin line. "I know his mother."

"But you can't tell me." Sephiroth muttered.

Vincent sighed. "Until you remember him yourself, I can't. I can tell you he loves you, and he misses you, and he seems to get further away from us each passing day. But he's always with you."

"That's still doesn't answer any of my questions."

"You haven't asked any."

Sephiroth looked sharply at Vincent and saw the barest hints of mirth in the crimson orbs. "The boys say we have to get to this place called Twilight Town." The silver-haired man said, changing subjects. "You know it?"

"I know it. We go there often, as it's closet to the Terminal Town Alexandria."

"Can you take us there?"

Vincent frowned. "The easiest way to go would be through a Dark Corridor, but I won't risk Riku on those pathways. Gummi ships are the next best thing."

Sephiroth didn't ask why his son would be a risk on this Dark Corridor; Vincent had turned his gaze aside as he'd mentioned it.

"Only Cid has a Gummi ship, and he won't be convinced." Sephiroth said.

"Then we'll stay here." Vincent replied mildly.

Sephiroth frowned at the immortal and then flicked his feline-like gaze onto the blonde pilot that had shown up to cuss out the teenagers. A lazy smile spread on the SOLDIER General's face as he had a brilliant idea.

Vincent might be bound to silence, but Sephiroth sure as hell wasn't.


	10. Chapter 10

X

"It's Xemnas, but it's not." Zexion repeated, arms folded over his chest as he cocked his head toward the childlike man asleep in the hospital bed. "Physically, it's Xemnas. Mentally, it's someone who calls himself Xemnas. It's not the Xemnas we knew."

Kairi leaned over to Naminé and whispered, "How many more times do you think he'll say 'Xemnas'?"

Naminé almost choked on her milk. Roxas shot them a mild glare.

"So who is it then?" Saïx asked, face emotionless.

Zexion shrugged. "He says he's Xemnas."

"That's a load of help." Xigbar muttered. Marluxia elbowed him, sightless mulberry eyes narrowed at a point close to Xigbar's face.

"Until I gain access to his memories," Zexion said, "that's all we know."

Kairi stretched as the group left the infirmary and hurried after Naminé, Roxas, Tenkuu, and Kaoru who seemed to be much calmer now than he had been a week ago. There hadn't been many incidents and they hadn't gone off-world again. The five of them had played on the beach, the boardwalk, and caused general mayhem when Kaoru had introduced Kairi to paintball guns. That had gotten them all scolded by Rufus, but Kairi had seen the happiness in his eyes.

She wondered if Sora and Riku would want to play paintball when they got here.

"We can't," Kairi heard Tenkuu say. "If we got caught, we'd be in so much trouble."

"What are we getting in trouble for?" Kairi asked. Kaoru smirked at her.

"Naminé wants to go to Twilight Town."

The Sunrise Town Princess blushed. "I ran out of markers. Sunrise doesn't sell what I need."

"Why do we need permission?" Kairi asked. "Seems like a simple trip to me. Besides, I'd like to see Pence, Hayner, and Olette again."

"Because if we get permission we'll go in a Gummi ship, which means an Order member will likely come with us." Roxas said, smiling at the mention of his old sort-of friends.

"And you don't want that?"

"We don't need to be babysat."

Kairi shrugged. "And the other way?"

"We use a Dark Corridor." Kaoru said. "It's dangerous, but fast. With any luck, we'll get there and back within an hour."

"Doesn't sound that bad to me." Kairi said.

Tenkuu rolled his eyes. "It's forbidden for anyone but the Order to open a Dark Corridor."

Kairi looked at Kaoru. "You can do it, can't you?"

"I could." Kaoru replied. "But we'd have to move fast because the Leader is attuned to my powers."

Kairi's blank face didn't get any immediate answers. "So what's the worst case scenario?"

"We get eaten alive by Enigma." The four deadpanned.

"Of course," Roxas stated, "there's always the off-chance we get caught before we actually get anywhere."

Kairi frowned. "So what are we waiting for then?" she grinned. "Let's go for it!"

Naminé laughed. "Certainly getting dangerous, aren't you?"

"Well," Kairi pondered for a moment, "I need SOME story to tell Sora and Riku to make them feel bad about taking so long."

Tenkuu and Roxas winced. Kaoru rolled his eyes.

Naminé clapped her hands. "Okay. We'll need Ethers and potions. Probably would be a good idea to get some other recovery items, too."

Kaoru nodded almost absently. "You guys take care of that stuff. I have to prepare."

"We have to go where there's not a lot of people."

Kaoru canted his head slightly. "That ruined old church by Outworld Falls could work."

"We'll meet there, then." Roxas said. "One hour. We all have to be there or no one goes."

Kairi jogged after Naminé. "Seems silly to do something this dangerous for markers."

Naminé smiled a little too conspiratorially. "If I told them why I really wanted to go, they'd be against it."

Kairi blinked and grinned. "Devious little witch. So why do you wanna go?"

"The old mansion where Ansem, Master Ansem, that is, kept me, has a secret lab that Sora and his friends were kept in while I rebuilt their memories. Ansem had a lot of books and one was a photo album. If we find that, maybe we could get Xemnas to remember."

"They're going to be so mad at you." Kairi grinned. "We're going to be in so much trouble."

Naminé just smiled. "What's the worst they can do, ground us? Come on, we have a task to do."

Kairi laughed and hooked her arm around her Nobody's shoulders, enjoying this newfound freedom.

Cid's cigarette flicked from the left to the right side of his mouth. "You're telling me I know that red-eyed bastard?"

Sephiroth fought against casting Meteor on the idiot pilot. "Yes. That's what I'm saying. You know him from Before."

"Before what?"

Was Cid really this dense? Sephiroth wanted to throttle the man, to rail at him that if he didn't remember Vincent they couldn't go anywhere because Cid was being a stubborn old goat. It was Cloud that pulled Sephiroth away from Cid with the help of Leon, a brunette young man that strongly favoured Sora. Sephiroth fought down the snarl and turned his attention on a target that could and would take the kind of abuse a SOLDIER could dish out.

"He won't remember." Cloud said. "Not like we do. The memories of his Other self have probably all but vanished."

"We can't go anywhere until he remembers Vincent." Sephiroth did snarl this time and he watched Cloud's Mako blue eyes darkened as some memory passed at the name.

"Why don't we just steal a Gummi ship then?" Leon put in before Cloud could retort. "Sora's a good pilot."

"Unfortunately, there's only Cid's ship." Cloud told the brunette. "And that thing is locked down tighter than…well, tight."

Leon made a noise and looked toward Cid. "Maybe we could get him smashed."

"That's about as easy as getting Yuffie to sit still," Cloud muttered. He looked to Sephiroth. "There's no other way?"

Sephiroth shook his head.

"Then we're out of luck."

Sephiroth looked over to Cid and frowned. "I guess we are."

Riku quickly darted past Sora when the brunette waved his hand. The two were being as sneaky as possible in trying to get to the Gummi ship Highwind, hoping they could get the thing away before anyone noticed they and the ship were missing. They had planned it all out, every step, almost agonizing over the plans until they were as perfect as they could be. Sora dove into a roll to get against a large create as one of Cid's handymen walked by and looked at Riku, grinning at those aquamarine eyes. Riku smirked back and gestured, bringing Sora forward. They were almost there – a few more feet and they could make a dash for the gangway. They hadn't told anyone because they would have been stopped, but they had a clue and had to follow it. They needed to get Kairi back. Who knew what bad things were happening to her, anyway?

With the gangway of the Highwind down, it meant the alarms were off. With the alarms off, the Gummi ship could be taken. The engineers turned their backs soon enough and the two raced for the gangway.

Sora slammed hard into the Nobody before he had even crossed the first few feet. He fell back and gave a choked yell when he looked up into crimson eyes. Riku backpedaled and came to stand protectively in front of Sora, glaring at the Nobody for the little effect it had.

Vincent sighed. "Stealing the ship isn't the way to go about getting the girl back."

"You have a better idea?" Sora snapped, getting to his feet with Riku's help.

"Perhaps." The immortal answered.

"Then what is it?"

Vincent gave Riku a long silent look. "Go ask your father."

Riku looked about to snap at Vincent but seemed to think better of it, and took hold of Sora's arm. Despite the protests the brunette gave, Riku dragged him away from the hangar, leaving Vincent alone before the Highwind.

"I'm sorry, Riku." Vincent said softly. "You're just not ready yet. Neither you nor Sora are ready yet."

Sighing, Vincent turned to look up at the Highwind and entertained a memory of a time long ago, giving the ship a little ghost of a smile.

Perhaps some things just weren't meant to be.


	11. Chapter 11

Interlude 01: Cid's Memories

Cid knew something was wrong with him when he had opened his eyes one morning and couldn't remember where he was. That had been a long time ago, when Radiant Garden had become Hollow Bastion and Traverse Town had become his new home. For close to three hours he couldn't remember how he had gotten here, why he was here, and why he was alone. For a few hours he remembered a vivid dream of another life, where he saved his world from a psychopath and lived happily in the comfort of his wife's arms.

And in the arms of someone else.

Someone with moon-pale skin and ink-black hair. Someone with a quiet voice and an even quieter inner strength.

But those memories soon became a whisper and he was his old self again. He didn't remember the vivid dream that could almost be real. But he had changed, not quite like Cloud or Yuffie, but he had changed. There was something missing in his life and he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Then that Keyblade brat had shown up and his world changed again enough so he could return home and begin to rebuild.

And now Cloud's sworn enemy was telling him that he knew the red-eyed Nobody from something called The Before. Cloud had tried to explain once when he, Cid, and Leon were out drinking one night, but he had gotten so frustrated with Cid's inability to understand that he had given up. Leon had just sat there and hid his smirk behind his glass. Cid hadn't understood then, and he didn't understand now.

The old pilot heaved on the thick log of timber and eased it up to lean it against a pile of large rocks, moving to get a cart to try and transport the log to where it needed to be. You'd think after four years of construction, it would be done already, but excitement had a way of making people neglect their jobs. So Cid was out in the construction zone by himself, hauling rocks and logs to tire himself out enough so he could think clearly.

And maybe cajole Aerith into making her lemonade.

The blonde stepped back from the loaded cart and wiped sweat from his brow, staring at all he had accomplished. Not bad for someone his age.

He bent at the knees to haul up a stone to the cart and nearly brained himself with it when the thing hiding behind the rock snapped at him. Cid dropped the rock almost immediately, old muscles remembering old battles as he backpedaled, his lance coming into his hand to fend off the jaws aiming for his throat. He fell on his back, snarling at the thing as he kicked at its belly, keeping the haft of his javelin between him and the creature's jaws. Claws scored his skin, but those wounds weren't as serious as the wounds that could be inflicted if the thing actually bit him. Cid gave a heard double kick to the creature's stomach and rolled, kicking his attacker high over his head. Cid was on his feet in an instant and swung his spear into a ready position.

The creature lunged at him and took the top of Cid's javelin in the throat. It did nothing to deter the beast; it came on still as the weapon tore through its throat. It died on the haft, inches away from Cid's foremost hand, and the pilot let out the breath he had been holding. He set his foot on the dead thing's snout and pulled his weapon free, staring at the dead creature in confusion and just a little bit of excitement.

Cid whirled at the last second and saw his death in the claws reaching for him.

There was a loud crash of thunder, and the attacking creature flew back, broken near in half by the blast.

Cid turned and his mouth went dry.

Behind him stood the red-eyed Nobody, the barrels of his shotgun still smoking. Ruby eyes were narrowed, burning bright in that pale face, and Cid almost had a heart attack. For a moment, that black jacket looked red, and that right arm golden, and Cid's heart leaped because he knew that person.

"Who the hell are you?" the pilot asked gruffly.

The Nobody moved and the spell was broken. "The one who saved your life," He replied quietly. He knelt to inspect the bodies of the creatures and frowned, pulling out what looked like a cell phone to take pictures.

"What are you doing?" Cid asked, leaning on his javelin.

"Making a report." The phone snapped closed and disappeared. "This is a new breed."

"A new breed of what?"

"Enigma."

"What the fuck are Enigma?"

Those red eyes peered at Cid for a long moment. "Enigma are a cross between Heartless and Nobodies. Instead of simply consuming the heart, like Nobodies, or releasing it, like Heartless, they eat everything."

"Everything?" Cid swallowed. "Like wolves?"

The Nobody's head tilted. "It's a close enough analogy."

"Shit." Cid breathed. "At least these can be killed."

"If you hit them in the right place, anything can be killed." The red-eyed man said softly. Cid wasn't sure if he had been meant to hear that.

He frowned. Someone had said something similar to him before, someone who had been in immense pain. Who had it been?

"Are you injured?" the Nobody asked.

Cid blinked. "Naw. I'm fine. Right as rain."

An elegant eyebrow rose but the Nobody said nothing. Cid studied the man in the silence, chewing on the toothpick in his mouth. He was beautiful, but then, so were most men around here (and that just wasn't right, Cid thought), with raven-hair that hung straight down instead of in a braid. Those crimson eyes never once wavered and when he looked at Cid there was a timelessness in those eyes, something ancient and terrifying.

"So, uh," Cid rubbed his neck. "You know Riku?"

"Knew him." The Nobody replied. "I helped his mother nineteen years ago now."

Cid mulled this over for a moment. "Wait. Riku would have been a baby. What did you do?"

Now the Nobody looked pained. "I brought Riku from his home world to a place where he would be safe, where his grandfather couldn't touch him. I watched his mother give his life to save another and I can't help but remember how happy he was."

"Who?"

"Riku's mother."

Cid rubbed his jaw. "So Sephiroth really is Riku's dad, huh?"

"By blood." The Nobody glanced at Cid. "But then, you knew that."

Cid frowned and turned to follow the Nobody when he brushed past the pilot. "Sephiroth called you Vincent." The blonde blurted. Somehow, he couldn't accept that back turned to him.

The Nobody turned to look at Cid, face expressionless. "And if that is my name, what is it to you?"

"What… what is it to me? What the fuck does that mean?" Cid yelled. Vincent remained stoic, silent. Cid glared hard at the Nobody and wanted to throttle the bastard. Finally, Vincent moved back over to Cid and stood within arm's reach of the pilot.

"If you remember, on your own power," Vincent said, "I will tell you what you want to know. Until then, if anyone else tells you, I will have to kill you."

"I would love to see you try." Cid spat out.

Vincent's small smile was cold and cruel. "You could wound me, even give me a death blow, but I would survive. How long would it take you to die, I wonder?"

Cid took a step back now. "What are you?"

"Immortal," Vincent replied. "Vampire. Demon. Take your pick."

Not thinking, Cid blurted, "You're NOT a demon! How many times do I have to tell you that?" He reached out and grabbed Vincent's shoulders, giving him a shake. "You're not a demon or an abomination! You're human! I don't care what that rat bastard scientist did to you, you are still human! Goddammit, Vincent, why do you do this self-deprecation shit, huh? Don't you ever get tired of it?"

Cid gave Vincent one more shake before he pulled the immortal into a hug. He held tight more for his sake than Vincent's because that vivid dream was playing in his head now, everything from a different life. A different Cid. Vincent held onto him, even sank to the ground with him, but Vincent never let go.

When the fit had ended, the old pilot looked into those ancient red eyes and snorted. "If that's how you remember, I don't wanna do it again."

Vincent gave a soft chuckle. "I've never seen anyone remember. Besides, you're still you."

"Am I?"

Vincent simply looked at Cid. The blonde let out a long breath. "What now?" he asked the immortal.

"Nothing." Vincent replied. He rose and helped Cid stand, making sure the man wasn't injured. "You decide if you want to take the boys where they want to go."

"And us?"

Vincent looked up at Cid and canted his head. "Whatever you want."

The black-haired Nobody turned then and began to walk away, pausing to look back at Cid. The blonde thumbed his nose and hurried after Vincent, settling his arm around the immortal's thin shoulders.


	12. Chapter 12

Interlude 02: I'm Here for You

Sora kicked his feet as he watched Riku try to figure out a plan to get on the Highwind Gummi ship. Riku almost seemed obsessed now, ever since the Nobody had told him to go ask Sephiroth. The One-Winged Angel had looked at his son and said nothing. Or, if he did, Sora did not hear it. But Riku became more obsessed and Sora felt like he was losing Riku again, just like before, when this whole mess started four years ago. He couldn't abide by that. Riku needed to be reminded he wasn't alone.

Sora jumped from his perch and stalked over to his boyfriend, grabbing Riku's wrist and yanking him around in a spin. He pulled the silver-haired boy down into a fierce kiss and held tight to him, pulling back only when he needed to breathe.

"What was that for?" Riku breathed.

Sora simply settled for glaring. Riku blinked, reddened out of embarrassment and looked away. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Look," Sora ran a hand through his hair, hoping he wasn't going to have a panic attack. "Your mom will stay wherever he is. He's not going anywhere. So we have plenty of time to find him. Even Kairi isn't going anywhere. So relax, Riku. Okay?"

Riku seemed to look a bit torn, but he nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now come with me."

Sora didn't give the elder a chance to protest. He simply dragged Riku away from the hangar and out of Radiant Garden altogether, heading for the Great Maw. He took a sharp detour in the caves, and brought Riku into a large chamber that had a lived in look.

"What is this place?" Riku asked.

"When Donald, Goofy, and I were wandering around together, we used to come to Radiant Garden a lot." Sora smiled. "I found this place on pure accident and I made it into a hideaway."

Riku eyed the brunette boy as if he couldn't quite believe the younger had the intelligence to think of such a thing. But then, Sora always had been smarter than people had given him credit for. Riku looked around the cave and spotted little thinks that made it feel more like home. Blankets and pillows made a bed, a crate and a lamp made a desk, and there were signs that Sora had even eaten here at one point.

Sora shoved Riku on the makeshift bed and pinned the older boy beneath him, kissing him hard. He didn't give Riku a chance to protest; his hands delved beneath Riku's shirt and when that barrier was gone, Riku's pants received the same molestation. By the time both were naked, they were panting, covered in a fine sheen of sweat, lips swollen and bruised, and Sora had a cut on his lower lip from Riku's teeth.

The brunette rubbed against Riku, grinding their hips in a not-quite-so-urgent pace. Riku was writhing beneath Sora, clutching at his shoulders and gasping and it was that moment Sora chose to speak.

"I love you," he said, "and I would follow you even if you chose to walk the darkness. My heart belongs to you, Riku, and no matter what happens, it always will. So don't forget you're never alone, all right? I'm always with you. Always here for you."

Sora pressed Riku's legs apart and thrust in. Riku grit his teeth against the cry that wanted to escape and Sora swallowed it in the kiss, folding the taller boy near in half as he began to pound into his lover's body.

There were tears in Riku's eyes, but Sora didn't know if they were tears of pain or joy. Riku clutched at him and yelled wordlessly as they moved, but Sora knew what the elder was trying to say. He kissed Riku's throat and clavicle, bit him once or twice to bruise and claim, and received his bruises and scratches in turn. Then Riku Arched and cried out Sora's name. His inner muscles clamped down tight against Sora's continuous thrusts and almost held the brunette still as the silver-haired boy came.

Sora wasn't far behind, stealing a kiss as he filled Riku with his seed.

Spent, the pair lay twined for a while in silence. Sora was the first to move and used a blanket to clean him of fluids, then Riku. He smiled as the silver boy sat up and was given a smirk in return.

"Always here for me, huh?" Riku asked softly.

Sora grinned. "Always."

Riku leaned forward to give Sora a chaste kiss. "You'll have to keep reminding me."

Sora pulled Riku in for a deeper kiss. "Every day."

Laughing, the two dressed and shared a few more moments with just each other before they headed back to Radiant Garden. If anyone noticed Riku's slight limp they said nothing, though Sephiroth's elegant eyebrow went up when Sora passed by, grinning. That grin faded when he saw the Nobody Vincent standing with Cid, speaking softly, and Sora was reminded that they were stuck here for the time being. Riku's fingers twined with his behind their backs for the briefest moment.

Cid glanced up to see the boys and snorted. "What're you brats waiting for? Go get ready to leave!"

Sora didn't miss the slight smile on Vincent's face and gave a childish whoop as he and Riku ran for Merlin's house. After almost three weeks of waiting, they were finally getting their reward.


	13. Chapter 13

XI

"See anything interesting?"

Slowly the Nobody turned to look at the speaker, butter yellow eyes focusing on the one behind.

"I received a strange report today," The one addressed replied in a whisper. "It seems we can no longer afford to watch."

"What do you mean?"

The Nobody turned slightly and offered the other a glance. Not one to miss the opportunity to look in the Scrying Glass, the second Nobody hurried forward and peered into the lichen-lit waters. What the Nobody saw was destruction and an all-too familiar face.

"So," the second Nobody hissed, black lacquered nails scraping along the bowl, "he's helping that bastard."

"He has ignored, or completely disregarded, the Rules given to us at our birth." The first Nobody said in that whisper. "Which means to balance the scales, so must we. But we must keep our hands out."

"Easy enough to do. I'll summon our emissary, and have him bring the Keyblade Masters to us."

The First Nobody hummed. "All the children. The Masters, the Creator, and the Princesses. Summon the Seekers as well."

"What do you need them for?"

Butter yellow eyes glinted in their black backdrop. The second Nobody grinned, sharp teeth revealed in predatory delight.

"Oh."

Reno rubbed the back of his neck and pulled Elena up with him onto the boulder he stood on. Denzel was only a few feet ahead, crouching on another flat rock and staring at something the two Turks couldn't see. Once up, Elena crouched and closed her eyes groaning.

"There has to be a better way," she complained, "to get where we need to be."

"There are probably hundreds of ways to get to the weak zone." Reno replied blandly. "But they're probably filled with Enigma and other nasties and personally, I've had enough near-death experiences to last my entire lifetime."

"Yeah," Elena heaved a sigh. "I just wish we knew where he was leading us."

"Leading you to where we want to go." Denzel said with a slight grin. "but we have to get someone first."

"And who is this someone?" Reno asked.

Denzel shrugged.

"Great." Elena groaned. Reno sighed.

"You don't know who you're looking for?"

Denzel gave a snicker. "I know who. But I don't know who. There's a difference."

"Really? How so?"

Denzel rolled his eyes. "I know the look, what they are. But I don't know who they are."

"Okay." Reno began slowly. "Then how will you know them when you see them?"

"Because I just will."

And that seemed enough for Denzel. Reno and Elena looked at him and then each other. They sighed collectively and Elena gave a shrug.

"He knows best, I guess." Elena said.

"I guess." Replied Reno, shoving his hands in his pockets.

They followed Denzel for miles, encountering only Heartless and one or two Nobodies as they went. Elena and Reno didn't complain about Denzel's grueling pace or lack of rest periods, just wanting tog et home as soon as possible. Denzel began to slow around nightfall, but the Turks knew it wasn't because of exhaustion. It was because something a head was dangerous.

"Maybe it's the someone he's looking for." Reno spat out, swallowing to ease the pain in his throat.

"Maybe." Elena heaved a deep breath. "Let's hope he didn't decide to have us eaten."

Denzel edged further forward and froze for a moment before he backed up toward Elena and Reno and shook his head. "Not that way. Bad is that way. We'll go around."

"Around what?" Reno asked, just a little annoyed.

"Around the Bad." Denzel replied as though it had been obvious.

Reno heaved a sigh and gave up trying to figure out the obviously insane young man and just followed Elena. Sometimes it was best to just play follow the leader.

They stopped when it became too dark to see and tried to sleep without any protection of light, and when the sun rose Reno decided he couldn't wait to get back home. The wasteland they were in seemed to have grown and only Denzel seemed unbothered by that fact. They walked – Reno thought he was getting holes in his boots and Elena was complaining about blisters – and they never seemed to be any closer to this Who Denzel was looking for.

"Wait." Elena paused, head cocked as she listened. "Is that… a chocobo?"

"A chocobo?" Reno questioned. "What the hell would a chocobo be doing out here?"

Denzel just grinned. "Looking."

The Turks stared at the young man and were positive he'd gone mad when he threw back his head and chortled like one of those giant yellow plague-birds. A call answered him, and up bounded a yellow chocobo, decorated with feathers and bones from its own kind. It came to a hopping halt before Denzel and cooed as it shoved its beak into his hands.

Reno shook his head. "Of course."

Elena looked confused. "What?"

"That bird is Spot. He belongs to Malchus."

"Oh."

Denzel simply grinned. "Now we can leave. Come, we'll go to that place."

So the humans and avian continued to walk, continued to follow Denzel until they came to the ruins of what used to be Midgar and Denzel stopped. Reno and Elena glanced at each other and then at the young man before them.

"Denzel?" Elena began.

"We open it here. To go further would bring Them, and we don't want Them to find us." Denzel replied, head bowing slightly, as though he were nervous.

And he probably was, Reno thought dryly. "Okay." The redhead stepped forward, stretching and cracking his knuckles. "Let's get this show on the road."

"I'll watch your back," Elena said. "Denzel, keep an eye out for nasties."

Denzel nodded and lifted his bangled wrist, the Materia stones flittering with the power they held.

Reno took a breath and closed his eyes, trying to block out all sound and feeling. The danger with opening a door to the Dark Corridors was that you had to be completely focused on the task. There was no room for error or distractions. If you lose concentration for even a moment, you could end up trapped or in a place you never intended to go. And that was damn scary. Which was why most of the Order traveled in pairs.

Reno felt his destination recognize him and ordered the doorway to open. The air before the quartet began to shimmer and then darken, until finally a rift opened, revealing a pitch-black voice with a long purplish road extending into the distance. Swallowing, Reno led the group into the Dark Corridor. They moved in unaccosted, and walked in a tight square, no one talking, not even Spot the Chocobo. Traveling on a Dark Corridor was far faster than a Gummi ship, and far more dangerous. They made it halfway to Sunrise Town when the chirps started up behind them, and the growls before them. Out of the purple light came Heartless and Nobodies, trapping the four. They could fight, and Denzel was certainly prepared to, but Elena grabbed his wrist.

"There are too many!" she said. "And you're the only one with any weapons!"

Denzel's eyes darkened, but he understood the blonde woman and he looked helpless for a moment. Elena turned to Reno. "Can you change the path?"

"Don't you think I've been trying?" Reno snapped back. "We're stuck."

"So what do we do?!" Elena yelled.

Denzel took hold of Elena's wrist as Spot grabbed Reno's ponytail. Without a word, the two jumped off the path with their unwilling passengers and fell in a swift descent. Elena screamed. Reno screamed. A portal opened beneath them and the four landed in a heap of limbs and feathers. Reno jerked his tail from Sport's mouth and cursed as he helped Elena to her feet, watching Denzel and the damned chocobo easily get to their feet with nary a concussion. Reno heaved a sigh.

"So, Denzel, where are we?" Reno asked, staring around the rocks and assorted debris.

Denzel hummed. "Why don't we ask them?"

"Them?"

Denzel raised his arm and pointed. Reno and Elena turned toward the indicated direction and froze.

"Well," Cloud muttered, "seems to be our day for visitors."


	14. Chapter 14

XII

Kaoru heaved a sigh as he waited for his cohorts to show up. It was bad enough he was going to break the rules by doing what he would be doing; he didn't need the added anxiety of being the only one to show up at the meeting place. Unable to keep his doings a secret though, the leader had found out and so Kaoru had told him. The Leader had just looked at him for a long while.

"Do what you think is best." The Leader had said.

He knew markers weren't what Naminé was after. Even after all this time, she still didn't realize Kaoru could read her far better than anyone else. She had given him memories and had broken him. Kaoru was her knight eternal – she never would realize that. So he kept his mouth shut and waited, arms folded across his chest as he bowed his head. He knew his limits. He knew what he was capable of. But it still frightened him, no matter what happened, and he was terribly unsure if he could keep control this time.

"So, you're first?"

Kaoru looked up at Kairi. "It seems like it."

Kairi rocked back on her heels and clasped her hands behind her back. "You really do look like him, you know."

Kaoru hid his wince. "I was made to."

"Do you regret it?" Kairi asked. "Being like him, I mean."

Kaoru stared at the Princess for a moment. He looked away after a moment and sighed. "If it weren't for the Leader, I wouldn't be here. Do I regret being like Riku? Sometimes. It's hard to be an individual when you were born to be someone's replacement." He took a breath. "But if I wasn't, I would never have the life I do now. So it's like a double-edged sword."

Kairi hummed. "If it's any consolation, you're happier than he seems to be."

"That's not much consolation."

Kairi seemed about to say something more when Roxas and Naminé ran up, with Tenkuu huff-puffing behind them. Kaoru pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning against and moved to stand in the middle of the semi-circle the others formed.

"We stay on the path, no matter what." Kaoru said. "We run. I don't know how long I can hold the portal, so we have to be fast."

Kairi glanced to Naminé. The Sunrise Princess just nodded. Kairi took a deep breath. They'd be okay. They would be just fine. Kairi watched as the air before Kaoru began to shiver and shake, splitting open to reveal the Dark Corridor that would take them to Twilight Town. Roxas went through first, Oathkeeper and Oblivion in hand as a precaution, followed by the girls, Tenkuu and then Kaoru. The portal closed behind them, locking them inside the Corridor.

All was silent, the only sounds being their breath and fluttering heartbeats, and Kairi was positive something out there in the dark was watching them. She shivered.

"Run." Kaoru whispered, his voice loud even in the silence.

They ran.

The girls were kept in the middle of the three Keyblade Masters, if only because both Kairi and Naminé were capable of casting offensive and defensive spells far more quickly than the boys. Not that Kairi minded being in the middle, as it only kept those flashing Keyblades away from her head. The path never seemed to end, but soon enough a door appeared before them and Kaoru quickly moved to the front of the group to place his hands on it.

Kairi paused, so sure she heard something. Slowly she turned and nearly screamed at the sight of the creation. It wasn't fully an Enigma but it was damn close. A long tongue (she hoped it was a tongue) dragged behind the body, making an acidic hissing noise as it inched forward. Her panic caused Naminé to turn and Naminé simply froze.

"Kaoru!" Roxas yelled. "Hurry up! Corridor Stalker!"

Kaoru let out a long string of curses and shoved at the door. It inched open and Kaoru shoved harder until the tumblers clicked and it swung on its own power. "Go!"

Naminé and Kaoru were though first, then Tenkuu and Roxas. They landed hard on cobblestone and rolled, the boys coming back to their feet as Kairi and Naminé knelt where they had stopped. Kaoru hadn't come though. Roxas was about to go back in when Kaoru stumbled through, bleeding fiercely from his left forearm. He collapsed as the portal vanished and snarled at anyone who came near him. His eyes were wild, Kairi saw, like a Heartless.

"Shit," Roxas breathed, "he's lost control."

"What?" Even to her ears, Kairi's voice sounded stunned.

"Kaoru is what the Nobodies of Organization XIII hoped to attain." Roxas said. "Power with the use of a heart. Kaoru has bits and pieces of hearts to form his own, which makes him almost Heartless. Since he's neither whole nor half, if he uses too much Dark power, he can lose control."

Kairi shuddered. "That's what happened on Spira."

"Exactly."

"But he came back under control." Tenkuu protested. "He could now!"

Roxas looked at the darker Keyblade Master and then at Kaoru who lay still, still snarling softly, as his eyes rested on them. Then Naminé moved, slowly walking over to Kaoru. Roxas looked about to protest, but settled for helping Kairi to her feet.  
Naminé was speaking softly to Kaoru, slowly and gently casting Cura on the wound on his arm. Those wild eyes were wholly focused on Naminé, and Kairi watched in amazement as Kaoru came back to himself. Only then did the other three approach. Kairi knelt and hugged Kaoru, laughing.

"You had us all worried!" she said as she pulled back. Kaoru blinked and blushed.

"I'm sorry."

Roxas grinned. "Yeah, do that again, and Kairi will kick your ass."

"Damn straight." Kairi replied with an affirmative nod.

Kaoru's eyes darkened for a split-second and then he shook his head. "Let's just do what we came here to do."

He got to his feet and rubbed the healing scar on his forearm, looking at Naminé appreciatively. The Sunrise Princess just smiled back and cocked her head, and the group left the alleyway, moving out into the marketplace of Twilight Town.


	15. Chapter 15

XIII

Sora pressed up against the glass of the Highwind's bow, staring down at the rapidly approaching Twilight Town. Things were happening that he didn't quite understand. Riku had told him all he could – something about what Sephiroth remembered and what Vincent remembered, Riku's birth (though how Riku's mom could be a man still escaped Sora) and his apparent abandonment – but Sora still didn't quite get it. Maybe he needed a storyboard or something. Since Cid had Remembered Vincent, the rule binding the Order member's tongue had become void. So he had sat Sephiroth, Riku and Sora (because Sora had been firmly attached to Riku at the time) and told them his side of the story.

Riku's mother (who had not been named, since Sephiroth had yet to Remember him) had been imprisoned with Cloud for a time in a lab in the basement of a mansion. When Riku was born, his mother had escaped with him and had stumbled upon Vincent. Near begging, Riku's mother had gotten Vincent to agree to take Riku somewhere safe, where no one could hurt him or know his lineage just from looking at him. When asked why, Riku's mother had simply said his work wasn't done here yet.

The way Vincent said it made Sora think Riku's mom had been trying to die.

He didn't say that out loud, though.

Sora kept his mouth shut and listened through the entire ordeal, trying not to fidget or ask too many questions. Riku looked depressed enough without Sora goading the mood.

"Sora?" Riku stepped up beside him, head canting down slightly to look at the smaller brunette. "Are you okay? You look like you're brooding."

Sora shrugged. "Thinking about how all of this started. We used to pretend we would run away and go to other worlds. We'd be heroes and everyone everywhere would know our names." Sora heaved a breath. "Now that we're on this adventure, all I can think about is going home."

"I know what you mean." Riku said. "I thought I'd be happy, escaping Destiny Islands. But I'm not. I've learned so much, about my real parents and everything, but even still, I'm not really happy."

"How's this sound?" Sora asked with a smile. "When we get Kairi, we go home and we explore our own world? There's gotta be more than just our town and the play island."

It took Riku a moment too long to smile. "So long as I'm with you."

Sora grinned. "You'll always be with me. I love you."

Now Riku truly did smile. The Highwind docked in Twilight Town's hangar and Sephiroth, Sora, and Riku departed. Sora watched the Highwind pull away and cracked his knuckles. The three walked slowly up to Twilight Town proper and began their search for Sora's Nobody.

Roxas and Kaoru came to a halt at the end of the street that led to Master Ansem's mansion, each confused as their hearts suddenly skipped a beat. The pair looked at each other and turned to put their backs to one another, just in case something was going to leap out and attack them. The others had gone ahead to the mansion after getting Naminé's markers, so Roxas and Kaoru could go full out if they needed to. They didn't have to worry about protecting the Princesses or Tenkuu if things got out of hand.

Roxas elbowed his partner and pointed across the plaza. "Look."

Kaoru followed Roxas' finger and felt the blood drain from his face. "What are they doing here?"

"Who the hell knows?" Roxas snapped back. "I don't intend to stay and find out. Come on. We'll get the others and get the hell out of here."

Roxas made to run for the crack in the wall that would take him to the mansion when Kaoru grabbed his wrist. There was urgency in that hold and when Roxas looked back, he saw Sora and Riku talking with Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

"Shit." Roxas breathed. "They're going to tell them Kairi was here."

"I knew letting her see them was a bad idea."

"Can't do anything about it now." Roxas tugged on the smaller Keyblade Master's arm. "We have to warn the others."

Kaoru nodded and shuddered as he felt eyes on him, forcing his gaze to stay forward and not look back. He and Roxas sped through the woods to the decrepit old mansion, knowing pursuit was behind them. The two were so conspicuous that the Twilight Town natives could easily point them out to Sora and Riku and that strange, one-winged man with them. So they ran, and managed to make it into the mansion before Sora had cleared the rise of the hill.

"Naminé!" Roxas yelled. "Naminé, we have a problem!"

The Sunrise Town Princess appeared on the top floor landing with Kairi and Tenkuu, frowning. "What sort of problem?"

Kaoru cleared the staircase when the mansion's front doors blasted open with a Firaga spell. There was a collective expletive from all the Sunrise Town teenagers and Kairi and out of the flames stepped the caster, the one-winged man dressed in leather. His eyes flicked up and focused on Kaoru. When Sora and Riku picked their way through twisted wood and assorted other debris, Roxas heaved a sigh.

"That sort of problem."

"Sora! Riku!" Kairi yelled with a wave. "About time you showed up!"

"Kairi!" The boys echoed together with wide smiles. "You're okay!"

"Of course I'm okay." Kairi said. "I'm better than okay."

She watched their eyes drift over her companions and grow steadily wider. Kairi couldn't help but snicker at their awe-struck expressions. "Do I need to introduce everyone?"

"No." Sora replied. "Maybe just explain a few things."

"It can wait." Naminé interjected. "We have to go now."

"Go?" Sora said loudly in surprise. "But we just found you! We have questions!"

"Besides," Riku added, "Our Gummi ship just left."

"We don't need a Gummi ship." Kaoru muttered. Riku looked at him sharply, his eyes hardening as he tried to place Kaoru to a memory. "This place is a Doorway, or like one, anyway. I can open a direct path from here to Sunrise."

Roxas looked at Kaoru. "That could kill you."

Kaoru simply shrugged.

The mansion suddenly titled and everyone but the one-winged man fell off their feet. Kaoru was the first one up, gold eyes blazing as he called his Keyblade to hand, the wicked blade seemingly pulsing with life. Roxas was up next, Oathkeeper and Oblivion in hand, the latter crossing with Kaoru's Reaver Keyblade to keep the now-volatile Master from attacking preemptively. Reacting to the other two, the remaining Keybladists called in their weapons, and Naminé and Kairi hurried down the stairs to get into a position where they would be of use.

"What the hell was that?!" Sora yelled, and the mansion shook again.

"Enigma." Kaoru whispered, his utterance yelled by Roxas.

"We're sitting ducks in here!" Tenkuu cried. "We have to get out!"

"They're probably waiting for us!" Naminé yelled back. "Kaoru, open a Door! We've got to get on a Dark Corridor!"

Kaoru looked at Roxas. "Watch my back."

"Always."

Kaoru vanished Reaver and stepped behind Roxas, aware of how Sora and Tenkuu instinctively boxed him in. He closed his eyes and concentrated, letting the sounds of the creaking mansion fade away. He felt the pull of an anchor point nearby and linked to it, fighting to keep control as he willed the portal to open. Slowly, inch by frightening inch, a portal began to open where he commanded it. There was only one problem: he didn't know where they would end up.

No time to think about that now.

"Go!" His voice seemed thin and reedy.

One by one his friends jumped through his portal. Kaoru hurried through last, snapping closed the portal just before a section of the mansion came down on where he had been standing. Roxas helped him up and he was grateful for the blonde's support when his legs wobbled.

"Where are we?" Sora asked, his voice echoing in the murk.

Kaoru heaved a breath. "We're in a Dark Corridor."

"Can we get out?"

Kaoru shrugged.


	16. Chapter 16

XIV

"You opened a Door without having an exit?" Naminé asked Kaoru. The silver-haired boy shrugged. "Can you even get us out?"

"Of course I can." Kaoru snapped. "I don't know where. That's our problem."

Sora leaned back against the rock Kairi was sitting on and sighed. "Do they always do that?" he asked, watching Naminé and Kaoru bicker.

Kairi hummed. "Sometimes." She toyed with the hammer of her pistol, smiling absently. "See, Kaoru can open a direct path between point A and point B. But he has to know where point B is to get point A to connect to it. If you don't know where you're going, odds are you aren't going to get there."

Sora nodded as if it made perfect sense to him. "When'd you learn how to use a gun?"

"Oh, this thing?" Kairi grinned. "Xigbar taught me how to shoot."

Sora was speechless for a moment. "Xig-Xigbar?"

"And Demyx taught me how to use water spells, Marluxia showed me how to use curative magic, Saïx growled at me a lot, Zexion helped me with that biology question we never answered, and Axel appointed himself my pain in the ass big brother."

- Sora was sure Kairi was enjoying is stricken look -

"And I have a new pet, but he couldn't come because he would have caused too much of a disturbance." She finished as she slipped the firearm into its holster.

"As if we didn't do that on our own." Quipped the dark brunette boy sitting against her back. "It's not just Kaoru's fault. We didn't even know where we needed to go."

"And the longer we're in a Corridor, the more dangerous it becomes." Roxas added. "We need to get out of here, and we need to get out of here now."

"That's going to be next to impossible of Naminé and Kaoru keep arguing like they are." Riku added.

The teenagers heaved a group sigh.

Riku looked toward Sephiroth. "You're the adult here. What would you do?"

Sephiroth's glowing green eyes focused on his youngest son. "I would move."

Riku's aquamarine eyes narrowed slightly at the older man and Sephiroth shrugged.

"I'm a SOLDIER General. I wasn't made to play nice with others."

"Yeah, fine excuse, Dad." Riku rolled his eyes.

Sephiroth's heart seized.

-"I don't play well with others."

"Yeah, fine excuse." A dark head tilted to the side. "If you don't want to, just say so. You won't hurt my feelings. You're just hurting yourself, Seph."-

"–ad? Dad? Dad."

Sephiroth blinked down into Riku's eyes. The silver-haired youth frowned. "We're going now." He let his gaze roam his father's face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." -I just remembered the sound of your mother's voice.-

Riku nodded slowly. "Okay. If you say so. Come on, we're falling behind."

Sephiroth moved at a more sedated pace than his son, trying to catch the memory and failing. He remembered the sound of his lover's voice. It was upbeat, youthful, cheerful even if it seemed like there was some unseen pain beneath the inflections. But it seemed voice alone wasn't going to jog any memories of a face or a name, so Sephiroth put that voice-information away for later review and lengthened his stride to catch up to his son and his son's friends.

But being as paranoid as he was wont to be, Sephiroth felt fairly sure someone's eyes were following him. And if not him, then someone in that group of teenagers, and if that was the case then Sephiroth wasn't going to stand idle. Riku was his son, his blood, and by default that group fell under Sephiroth's protection. He'd screwed up once before and it had cost him something dear. He wasn't going to screw up again.

"Elena, Reno, what are you doing here?"

Elena gave a relieved sort of sigh at the sound of Vincent's voice. "Do you want the epic or condensed version?" she asked, accepting the mug of sweet-smelling tea Aerith handed her.

The crimson-eyed immortal stared at her for a moment. "Condensed. Otherwise Reno will do something stupid."

Elena swallowed the tea – ech, chamomile – and ignored Reno's indignant sputter. "We were sent home. But it wasn't home like we remember. It's like one hundred or so years into the future, and we found Denzel. Well, he found us. And we opened a Door and got stuck between Enigma packs. So Denzel and Spot grabbed us and jumped off the Corridor path." She took another sip. It didn't taste much better the second time around. "Now we're here."

"And Denzel?"

"Pissing contest with Cloud." Reno muttered. "Took one look at one another and you'd think the fate of the universe was at stake."

"Maybe it is." Vincent uttered.

Elena gave him a hard look. "What do you mean?"

"Sunrise has lost all contact with Naminé and her guardians."

"All contact?"

"Last known whereabouts was Twilight Town. A Dark Door was opened and that's the last we know."

Elena looked to Reno and they shared a frown. "Is anything being done?" Reno asked Vincent.

The immortal nodded slightly. "Everyone has orders to say put. They might end up on an occupied world."

"That's if we're lucky."

"Let's hope we're lucky then." Elena finally gave up on her tea. "We ought to send a report to Tseng. Let him know we're safe."

Vincent smiled, or twitched his lips. It amounted to the same thing. "I already took care of it. You two are to remain here. Get some rest."

With that, the elder Order member left Elena and Reno alone. The two Turks heaved a sigh together and Reno leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I don't know," Elena replied quietly. "I wish I did. Maybe we could actually do something."

"Well." Reno paused. "What we can do right now is wait for orders. There has to be a reason why the Leader wants us to stay put, and it's probably better than 'the kids are lost'."

Elena sighed and looked at her teacup. "Wherever they are, I hope they don't run into too much trouble."

"Even if they did, one hit from Naminé and those things would be sorry they messed with that group."

"I hope you're right, Reno." Elena whispered. "I hope you're right."


	17. Chapter 17

XV

Axel stared up into the darkness, knowing he was being watched. He waited quietly and tried not to fidget because the gaze that would fall on him would pierce his soul and probably render him a babbling idiot. Somewhere, a door opened, closed, and opened again, and Axel finally heard footsteps on the obsidian floor. He angled his head down to stare at his black-framed reflection and prayed he wasn't going to be here long.

"You're aware of the current situation?"

Axel shivered at the deceptively sepulchral voice and nodded. "We have no answers." He replied. "Only that things have changed from the norm."

"So they have." This voice was less sepulchral and more a quiet rumble of thunder, but it still sent a shiver down Axel's spine nonetheless. "Axel, there is something you need to do for us."

"And that would be?"

"The children." The first voice said. "Bring the children here. However, do not tell them what for."

Axel swallowed. "May I ask why?"

The silence that followed was all the answer Axel was going to get. He bowed low and hurried out of the chamber, pausing when he saw the Seekers heading in his direction. He could never get over the fact that Ventus looked like he could be Roxas' twin, but the two were so different in personality it made it easy to differentiate them. Terra spotted Axel first and gave a short wave. Axel nodded his head and hurried on, if only because something in the back of his mind told him to get the hell out of there.

The Seekers entered the chamber Axel had vacated previously and stood on the obsidian floor, limned in the gentle white light. Ventus, Aqua, and Terra bowed to the shadows before Terra stepped forward, canting his head at the pair they couldn't see.

"You asked for us?" The Seekers' Leader asked.

"Yes." That sepulchral whisper issued forth, trailing off as if in thought. "There's been an… arrangement."

"An arrangement?" Aqua asked, breaking code. Terra looked at the young woman, half startled, half amused. She blushed.

"More of a change." The thunder-voice said. "The Rules have been disregarded. So we will enter this fight, but before we do, we need you to seek something for us."

"And what is this something?"

"Someone, actually."

One of the speakers came forward into the pale light, a thin hand offering Terra a photograph. Slowly, the Seeker took it, eyes going steadily wider as he recognized the face in the glossy paper. "This is…"

"A traitor. The Rules are in place for a reason, Terra. We are the Watchers. We aren't allowed to do more. Since our own Rules have been disregarded by one of our own, we too must ignore out restraint and fight."

"But you're going after him?"

"If we were to take on every little fight, you'd be out of a job."

Terra smirked and passed the photograph to Aqua and Ventus. "I guess we'll just do our job then."

The Nobody's lips twitched. "I guess so."

When the Seekers had left the chamber, the second Watcher came forward to join the first. A hand was set on the smaller's shoulder and a golden eye flicked to that hand, and away again. "What?"

"Do you feel bad about doing this?"

"After what he's done? No. I'll kill him myself."

"Xiko."

"Xact." The smaller Nobody replied in the same annoyed tone. "We let him do what he wanted for far too long. I wasn't aware of what he was doing and I should have been. I've managed to lock him out of Kingdom Hearts, but it's only a matter of time before he finds a way in." Xiko heaved a sigh. At least, that's what it sounded like to Xact. "He's fucked with me one too many times. Fucked with what's mind one too many times. Now I'm going to give it right back."

Xact was silent. "Are you sure you won't go easy?"

"Have your balls shriveled up so much that this is making you ill? I'm done playing, Xact."

"My balls are just fine." Xact snapped. "Yours seem to be fine as well. I'm your sheath, remember? If you go off the deep end, I have to bring you back. The more berserk you've gone, the harder it is for me."

Xiko simply stared at Xact for a while. The two men were gauging, as if preparing for a fight. Finally, Xact was the one who backed down.

"He brought this on himself." Xiko whispered. "If he didn't want what I am brought against him he should have destroyed himself a long time ago."

Cloud was staring again, and he knew it. Denzel was staring back, not openly challenging him, but standing in a way that would assure a fight if Cloud started one. Denzel was a name in the Other Cloud's memories, part of the merged soul, but that Other Cloud remembered Denzel as a little boy, not as a young man. This Denzel stared at Cloud with a gaze of hurt, hate, and longing; it was a stare Cloud saw too often, especially when he looked in a mirror. He had no doubts Denzel could fight. When the young man had first arrived, it had been the very first thing he had done. He had attacked Cloud, showing a mastery of assorted skills in martial arts and magic. His strategy changed on the fly, always keeping Cloud guessing because the blonde read faces and body language, and Denzel was always a blank slate. Aerith and Vincent, the latter of which had simply stared Denzel down until the boy gave a whimper and bowed his head, had broken them apart. After that, Cloud hadn't seen Denzel until now.

Keeping his hand away from the hilt of his sword, Cloud slowly, cautiously, approached Denzel. The dark blonde head tilted down in acceptance of the unspoken truce, but he didn't drop his arms from the folded position over his chest. It was a position that radiated insecurity and Cloud had often held the same position himself. Cloud moved to stand beside Denzel and they shared silence for a while.

"You're not Him." Denzel whispered. "You look like Him, sound like Him, move like Him, but you're not Him."

"Him, who?"

"My Cloud."

The way Denzel said it made Cloud think of a long lost lover. But Denzel had just been a child in the Before. Cloud frowned.

"Your Cloud?"

"He was a good person." Denzel said. "A jerk and antisocial, but he always came when I needed him. But he didn't come when the World went dark. No one came. A lot of people died." He held up his left arm. "This came back and the pool was gone. It's okay now. It stopped spreading years ago."

Cloud studied the mottled skin of the young man's forearm and frowned. It looked familiar; the name was on the tip of his tongue. Denzel looked at Cloud and gave sort of a half smile. "It's Geostigma. A Mako disease."

Cloud frowned a bit more. "Geostigma."

"It doesn't hurt anymore." Denzel said when Cloud reached out to touch it. "It used to, and then it stopped."

Cloud's Mako blue eyes narrowed and his hand went to his bicep. It was a memory, or a ghost of one, but he was certain he knew the pain of Geostigma too. "We fought against it."

"We fought against the spread of it. You did. I was too little." Denzel smiled. "Tried, though."

Cloud's eyes flicked to meet Denzel's. He almost reached out to touch the Geostigma on the boy's face, but stopped himself, holding his hand back. "I'm sorry."

Denzel blinked and laughed quietly. "It's okay. It is now. I'm not alone anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"You're here. And Elena and Reno. Aerith-not-Aeris is here, too. But she can't remember." Denzel smiled slightly as he toyed with his bracelet. "That's okay if she can't remember. Not a lot of people can."

Cloud frowned deeper as he studied Denzel, finally reaching to touch the marred skin on the boy's face. He said nothing, simply rubbed his thumb over the Geostigma. Somehow, Denzel knew the touch was more important than anything Cloud could ever say. It was enough for him.

"Cloud, Denzel!"

Cloud pulled away from Denzel at the sound of his name, and the pair turned to look at Elena as she jogged toward them. Denzel moved toward her faster than Cloud had anticipated the boy could move and followed him. The woman leaned against Denzel to catch her breath and swallowed as she straightened up. Denzel went rigid before Elena ever opened her mouth to speak.

His lips parted. "They're here."

"Who's here?" Cloud asked.

His answer came in the form of a guttural snarl and a Firaga spell being launched from beside his head. He followed the fireball's tail with his eyes and tilted his head at the frying Enigma.

"Oh." Cloud smiled in answer to his own question. "Them."

"Them." Elena said. "They're all over!"

Denzel unsheathed his Buster Sword with a smile. "Find the gate. Then, they all leave."

"What gate?"

Denzel shrugged. Elena heaved a sigh. "Just great."

Denzel just offered the woman a smile before he skewered the Enigma behind her.

"Yeah." Cloud echoed. "Just great."


	18. Chapter 18

XVI

Kaoru roamed ahead of the group, his eyes more suited to the darkness the Corridors offered than he was the light that illumined the group. He felt far more comfortable alone as they wandered the Corridor, and he said, when asked, it was easier for him to locate a Door if he had no distractions. In reality, it was to stay away from Riku and that man with him, because being around the two made him feel strange, and it wasn't a good kind of strange. He felt as though he couldn't breathe, as if something was sucking him in and if he succumbed, he would never be free again. So he roamed farther away and hoped maybe he'd find a Door that would lead them out before someone tried to get him to talk.

Pi. Pi pirrup.

Kaoru froze, standing in rigid attention when he heard the Heartless call. He spared a glance backwards, and found the group in just as deep a conversation as they had been when he had begun to roam ahead. He called in Reaver and felt Roxas snap to attention, and because Roxas froze, so did everyone else.

Pi pi pi pir–

An animalistic snarl bubbled up from the darkness. The Heartless quieted almost immediately. Reaver lifted up and limned in a violet-black light, allowing Kaoru's eyes to shift from the normal spectrum to the Heartless spectrum. The group was a large blob of pulsing light, so he ignored them. Approaching quickly from the east, however, was a flickering light, the kind that indicated a failing heart. A Corridor Stalker.

Kaoru's eyes shifted spectrums immediately. "Roxas! Corridor Stalker!" he yelled.

The snarl came again, louder, as the group started to run. Except for Sephiroth, who moved at a more sedate pace compared to the teenagers. Kaoru rolled his eyes at Sephiroth and wondered if the man would get the picture when the Corridor Stalker bit his ass. In a group as large as theirs was, they could probably take the Stalker and it seemed like that was the plan. And then there was another rumble-roar from the left.

"Shit." Roxas breathed as he reached Kaoru. "A Corridor Stalker and an Enigma Berserker? Pulling out all the stops aren't they?"

"They didn't have what they wanted until now." Kaoru whispered lowly. Roxas gave him an odd look, but the smaller boy did not clarify. He looked at Roxas. "Run."

Roxas' lips drew into a frown but he grabbed Naminé's arm and pulled her past Kaoru despite her protests. "I hope you know what you're doing." He told the Twilight Keyblade Master.

"Just get Riku and Naminé out." Kaoru snapped.

Riku gave his double an odd look as he passed, but followed after Roxas and said nothing, just keeping up. Kaoru stood alone on the path, drawing the creatures' attentions away from the pack to the loner. Reaver was ready to taste some blood, and Kaoru let that human, that moral, part of him slip away. Now he was a killer.

And he wasn't alone. Sora stood beside him, the Kingdom Key transformed to the Ultima Keyblade, and those bright blue eyes hardened to sapphire.

"You should run." Kaoru quipped as if he were joking.

Sora smirked. "You first."

The Berserker roared in victory as it barreled down the Corridor path, knocking aside the Stalker. Kaoru dropped to one knee and placed his flat palm on the Corridor path. Almost immediately, the path began to shatter, forcing the Berserker to stop or fall. Kaoru looked to Sora.

"Now we run."

"Well, that was a bit of a drama killer, wasn't it?" Sora asked as they turn to run.

"You want drama or life?"

"Well, when you put it that way."

The pair ran as fast as they could, panting by the time they caught up to Sephiroth, who had taken up the rear of the feeling party. Masamune was out in her fell glory, and already covered in Heartless blood. Tenkuu was lagging behind Roxas, also covered with Heartless goop, and everyone else seemed in good shape.

"Looks like we missed a party." Sora quipped as he and Kaoru passed Sephiroth. The older man grunted.

Kaoru hurried up to the front of the group, eyes once more shifting spectrums. He breathed in a sigh of relief and grinned. "There's a Door ahead. I don't know where it leads to, but we can get out."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kairi asked. She wiped sweat from her brow and sighed. "I've had enough of near-death experiences."

"It's not over yet. There's about a hundred yards between us and the Door." Kaoru said blandly.

"So we run fast." Kairi said.

The Corridor Stalker howled behind them.

"Really fast." She amended.

Kaoru shrugged slightly and turned to lead the group toward the Door, running as fast as he dared. He was the first to reach the Door and began to work it open, fighting down panic as the noises of pursuit closed in about them. The Door opened inch by inch, but it wasn't fast enough. The group gathered behind him, their uneasiness increasing his own. The Door was wide enough for someone small to slip through and Kaoru told them this. But it was too late. The Stalker was upon them.

Xemnas sat bolt upright in bed, eyes wide in a panic. Danger! Danger! His senses were screaming. But Zexion didn't notice. Who would notice? Naminé would, but she wasn't here. Who would listen to him? Xemnas rolled out of bed and pulled on the clothes Kairi had brought for him when they all had gone to the beach. He wondered briefly if he would get in trouble for leaving the infirmary, but this was far more important. Who would listen to him?

Xemnas snuck out of the infirmary when Zexion's attention focused on something else and ran for someone he knew. Those he didn't know ignored him when he tried to talk to them or brushed him aside. No one cared. No one cared that danger was coming! Xemnas shuddered and fought to keep from yelling in frustration because that wouldn't get him anywhere. He had to find someone who would listen to him.

"Xemnas? What the hell are you doing out of the infirmary?"

If Xemnas hadn't remembered Saïx would kill him if he did it, he would have kissed Axel. The redhead wasn't alone, standing with Jenova behind him. Xemnas hugged Axel tight, making noises he was sure were words. Jenova looked at him if he was a babbling idiot, but Axel understood.

Axel always understood.

"Bring everyone up to the Palace." Axel told Jenova. She gave him a questioning look.

"Why?"

"Because Xemnas is sensing Enigma." Axel said without much inflection. "I can't sense them yet, but he spent more time in the Corridors. Besides, better safe than sorry."

"It'll take time," Jenova replied, "and I'm short-staffed as it is, but I'll send out the alarm."

Axel nodded and the woman jogged off, snapping and snarling at people so they would get the message. Axel looked at Xemnas who still clung to him like a child, and Axel closed his eyes. The Watchers hadn't told him everything, but he had a good idea what was happening. He hoped that this wasn't the end, because it would really suck if it were. Sighing, Axel pushed Xemnas back from him and smiled at the man-child.

"Let's go help out, huh? I'm sure the Leader will let you help,"

The way Xemnas smiled hurt Axel, because that smile was so full of childlike trust. If there was anything Axel hated the most, it was implicit trust. As he led Xemnas up to the second floor of the Palace, he hoped that maybe this time, trust wouldn't get them all killed.


	19. Chapter 19

XVII

Doors were opening everywhere, on every planet, every world, simultaneously. It was just as he wanted. With the Order spread so thin and those Keyblade brats out of the way, his Enigma could harvest each and every soul they came across. Then he would show his former allies just what kind of power they were denying themselves. Even Xiko, the Firstborn, wouldn't be able to stand against him. And in return, all he had to do was deliver four precious people to his new allies. Two he had trapped in the Corridors and the other two were waiting ever so patiently in Sunrise Town.

Madax have a snarling laugh. Even if Xiko caught on now it would be too late. He had more power than both Xiko and Xact combined, and soon they would have no allies to turn to. They were even bound by their own Laws, so when Madax came to call, they would be little more than sitting ducks. The worlds and Kingdom Hearts would come under Madax's control and no one would oppose him.

He turned to look at his two captives, smiling sweetly at Aqua. "You could join me, you know."

Aqua spat at Madax's feet. "I'll sooner bite my tongue and die."

Ventus' response was a bit more pithy but just as identical.

Madax sighed. "It's going to be a shame to kill you. And wouldn't you know it? Terra's abandoned you. Left you both at my mercy. Don't you hate him?"

This time Ventus laughed. "Abandon isn't in Terra's vocabulary."

"Yeah," Aqua added. "He could even be here, right now, watching you."

"It hardly matters if he is or isn't." Madax said sneeringly. "The two of you are going to be the appetizer. The main course has yet to arrive."

"All this talk about dinner and I'm not even invited?" This voice was quiet, a tenor masked with silence. Madax slowly turned to face Terra and another young man, this one possessed of silver hair and the same yellow eyes as a Heartless.

"I did tell you I'd come back for my friends." Terra said.

Madax lips curled. "Kagami, it's so nice to see you."

"I wish I could say the same." The silver-haired man replied. "Unfortunately, you crossed a line, and threw the Balance of whack."

"Balance shmalance." Madax snarled. "It's time for a new era. You could still join me, eradicate the Watchers, the Seekers, the Keyblades, everything!"

Kagami's eyes sharpened. "You don't understand yet, but you will in the end."

Kagami's hand lifted, index finger pointing at Madax's heart. Despite himself, the rogue Watcher winced and briefly closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he found he was alone, and his captives were gone. He gave a primal roar of rage and felt a bit better when his army answered back.

Terra paced before Xiko and Xact, the two studying him carefully. "And if Kagami hadn't have come when he did, my friends would be Enigma food!"

Xact looked at Xiko and knew his face was impassive under that hood. Sighing, the blonde Nobody looked at Terra and tried to think of something to tell him to comfort him.

"What did you see?" Xiko asked before Xact could soothe the wound. Terra slashed a glare at the Watcher but heaved a sigh.

"Thousands of Enigma. Doors are opening everywhere, on all the known worlds and with everyone spread so thin, we're going to lose." He replied. "Madax must have been planning this for years."

Xiko made a humming noise. "Will you assist?"

Terra looked about to reflexively say 'no' but paused. "You're giving me a choice?"

Xiko nodded. Xact almost thought that his non-existent heart was going to stop beating. Xiko never gave anyone a choice.

Terra looked back to Kagami and saw determination in the fourth Seeker's eyes. Kagami was going to fight. Everyone was going to fight, even the Watchers. Finally, the Seeker Leader sighed.

"It's not really an actual choice," he told Xiko lamely.

"On the contrary. You can take yours and enter Kingdom Hearts to wait out the battle, or you can take part in it and get some revenge." Xact said. "It's up to you."

"You already know I'm going to fight." Terra argued. "I can't leave everyone else to shoulder my half of the burden."

"Then it's decided." Xiko whispered. "Terra, you'll go to whatever world needs your help the most and fight there until the Door is closed. I need you to try and stall Madax and his allies."

"If we cause enough damage, I think we'll be able to sufficiently distract him." Terra said dryly. "Why?"

"Because I have a plan that should, if it goes correctly, limit the menace we face back down to just the Heartless and Nobodies."

Terra blinked, nodded, and finally saluted. He turned sharply on his heel and brushed past Kagami. The fourth Seeker heaved a silent sigh and moved after Terra, saying nothing when he caught up. The doors to the chamber closed behind them, leaving Xiko and Xact completely alone. Xact turned to his superior and frowned.

"Are you going to tell me this plan or am I going to have to guess?" he said with a hint of tartness.

Xiko smiled slightly. "Why tell you when you already know it?"

Xact frowned deeper, folding his arms over his chest. "You can't be serious."

"We've let him do what he wanted this far. Now, it's time for us to kick him back."

"You're evil and I love you for it." Xact grinned. "It's the last thing he'll be expecting."

Xiko smiled and canted his head. "We just have to wait for Axel to bring us the children."

Xact's grin took on a more sinister look then and the Watcher eased back on his heels. If Xiko felt confident enough to use that plan, then Madax was in for the long haul.

"I'll go prepare for our guests' arrival then?" Xact asked.

"Do that." Xiko replied absently. "I'll keep an eye on the afflicted worlds."

"Call if you need me."

Xact swept out of the chamber then with a slight bounce in his step. Of course, he was always giddy when his red-haired leader was going to let him kill things. Must be a berserker thing.

Elena slumped against Vincent and Reno and slid to sit down, holding her head in her hands. Reno crouched next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. He accepted her desperate hug and tried to comfort her. They were losing. They had retreated back to the main part of the city where it was easily defensible and had been fighting for days. The wounded kept piling up and of the dead there was no trace. Even Cloud and Denzel, who had been tireless, ravenous wolves were flagging, kept on their feet by an exhaustible supply of potions. Their magic reserves had long since run out, and as far as they knew, they were alone. All the worlds had been attacked at the same time, preventing anyone from getting aid. The message was the same: when we finish, we'll come to you. But even Elena knew help would never arrive.

"Where are the Keybladists when you need them?" Cid asked as he hauled over another sandbag to replace an emptying one.

Vincent shrugged. "They could be another world, fighting to close that door."

"And how long do you think we can hold out?" Reno muttered. "There are hundreds of worlds."

Vincent simply smiled. It was brief and it gave everyone shivers. "I trust them. There were plenty of times where we could have given up, faded and become nothing but a memory or a dream. We've all faced tougher creatures than this."

"I remember the Weapons," Reno said with a smirk. "Those things were damn near impossible to kill."

"And remember the time with all the Geostigma victims?" Elena asked. "We didn't give up then."

Denzel plopped heavily beside Elena. "You were the strongest people I knew." He said, smiling. "All we have to do is keep fighting."

Cloud sat beside Vincent's legs and hummed softly at Leon as he, Merlin, Yuffie, and Aerith joined them. They sat in silence and listened to the Enigma howling outside their makeshift barricade. Footsteps alerted them to the sudden silence. Reno peeked over the barricade of sandbags and choked on the sudden intake of breath.

"Reno."

"Ge… Genesis."

Elena shot to her feet and jumped back as she stared right into the eyes of a man she had only heard stories about. Cloud's response was more appropriate, as was Vincent's, the two on edge in a way that reminded her of dogs with their hackles raised.  
Genesis smiled. "A little bird told me you needed help."

Vincent slowly blinked. "He told you?"

"He's the only one who knows how to contact us." Genesis replied. "We've split up, just like the Order."

"All on different worlds?"

"The ones in dire need, anyway." Genesis shrugged. "Nero wanted to come here, but I overruled him. We could be the alternate Door closers, since the Keyblades are otherwise occupied."

"Door closers." Cloud mumbled. He shook his head and sighed. Denzel slowly rose and stretched, purring softly.

"Genesis can close the Door." Denzel said. "So can all those with Genesis' blood. They said so."

"Who said so?"

Denzel casually pointed behind Genesis to the approaching Enigma.

"You understand them?" Elena asked incredulously.

Denzel shook his head. "No. Of course not. There's just more of them now that Genesis is here."

"Great." Reno rubbed the back of his neck. "Our saviour is Enigma bait."

Genesis slashed the redhead a deadly glare. Reno shrugged. Elena and Vincent loaded their firearms and Cloud and Denzel readied their swords.

"Come on, you mangy curs." Cid snarled at the Enigma. "I'll rip your fucking heads off."


	20. Chapter 20

XVIII

Sora slowly rose to his feet and gripped his head at the sudden dizzy spell, giving a groan that echoed and reechoed down the tunnel he was in. around him, others were slowly moving and Sora watched Riku slowly get to his feet. Riku was shorter than Sora remembered and immediately closed his eyes in a little self-hatred. That wasn't Riku. That was Kaoru, the clone-Riku. When Sora reopened his eyes, he found Kaoru staring at him, and tried not to swallow in admission of his guilt for confusing the two.

"Where is everyone?" Sora asked the other Keyblade master.

Kaoru shrugged. "Not where we are, obviously."

"Don't be a smart ass."

Kaoru stuck his tongue out at Sora and moved to look for their missing companions. Sora followed close behind and tried not to start yelling. He watched Kaoru pick up speed as if he saw someone, and followed the smaller boy down a rocky incline toward a blonde girl casting a healing spell on a silver-haired man. Sora tried not to heave a disappointed sigh at the sight of Naminé and Sephiroth, and no one else.

When Kaoru reached Naminé she looked up and asked, "Is it just us?"

Kaoru frowned and closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he reopened them, he nodded. "Yeah. Just us. But there's a Door nearby, so once we get back on the Corridor, I can locate the others."

"Whoa, wait. Time out." Sora crossed his arms before him in an X. "What happened to separate us in the first place?"

Kaoru rolled his eyes. "The Stalker attacked us. So we jumped from the path and dragged you with us. We must have let go of each other because we were separated."

"So it was a roulette on who we'd up with?"

"In short, yeah." Naminé sighed. "It's a hazard of using the Corridors. If you jump off the path, there's no telling where you'll end up."

"So what world are we on?" Sora asked.

"I would assume we're on what used to be my home world." Sephiroth muttered. "This is Mount Nibel."

"Mount what?" Sora asked.

"Mount Nibel." Naminé said. "It's a mountain that rose over Nibelheim, the village that Cloud came from. There used to be a Mako Reactor here."

Sephiroth looked at the girl and frowned. "You seem to know a lot."

"It's part of being a Princess." Naminé replied with a smile. "We're supposed to be omnipotent."

Kaoru snorted. "We learned it in history class back home."

"Ruin all my fun, why don't you."

"I will."

Sephiroth rubbed his temples. "We're getting off the mountain." He didn't give the teenagers a chance to protest, and turned to march off down some path the kids couldn't see.

"He's tense, isn't he?" Sora whispered to the others.

"Just a bit." Kaoru replied.

Naminé took up the lead for the trio, all of them hurrying after Sephiroth down the mountainside. To fill the silence, Sora asked questions and either Kaoru or Naminé would answer them. Sephiroth didn't look back at them until they hit a plateau that held two paths. One led down, no doubt to the village, and the other led up, to the Reactor. Sephiroth began to take a hesitant step toward the latter path, but changed his mind and started down the former. The teenagers hurriedly followed. The conversations became less and less audible to Sephiroth, and soon it became apparent to him that the kids had simply stopped talking. He paused to look back at them and found them staring back up at the mountain. Slowly, he moved to stand behind them and looked in the direction they were staring in.

"What are you three looking at?" He questioned softly, unable to see what they saw and edgy about it.

"There are lights coming from up there." Sora pointed. "Green lights."

"Isn't that where the Reactor is?" Naminé wondered.

Sephiroth was frowning almost instantly, on edge and ready to attack. He looked away from the strange lights and to the teenagers. "Stay here."

Sora folded his arms over his chest as they watched the older man begin to stalk up the mountain and huffed. "What does he think he's doing?"

"Whatever he wants to do, apparently." Kaoru said. The silver-haired boy began to move after Sephiroth, quickly followed by Naminé. Not wanting to be left alone, Sora followed the other two and was sure he was going to be the first to die.

The trio kept at a distance from Sephiroth as they followed him up to a busted and rusted old Reactor and hid behind a cliff wall as they watched him go inside the obvious death trap. Quickly, the teenagers moved toward the stairs in a running crouch, and Kaoru was the first up the stairs, peering into the dark interior of the Reactor. He waved the others up and took the lead inside. The Reactor's interior was lit by an eerie green light that pulsed and shivered as if it were alive. Kaoru could see Sephiroth's figure down below, and carefully led Naminé and Sora forward to a point where they could easily escape before they were spotted.

"What's he doing?" Sora whispered. His companions immediately shushed him.

Kaoru simply pointed in a direction for Sora to watch.

Sephiroth was moving lower into the Reactor's core, as if he were looking for something. He moved with a feline grace that not even Riku could mimic and stopped at a certain point on the catwalk, frowning. He continued to pace forward, then back, and finally he moved to peer over the edge into the viscous green of the Mako. The three teenagers flinched at the sound of twisting metal.

Sora leaned over to Naminé. "That wasn't him, was it?"

Naminé shrugged. "I don't know."

Kaoru eased back into the shadows and rose from his crouch. "Let's get out of here."

"Why?"

Kaoru shook his head. "Something bad is coming. Personally, I'd like a wide open space to fight in."

Since Sora wholly agreed with that idea, he and Naminé quickly followed Kaoru out of the Mako Reactor and back onto the mountain path. They were about halfway down when the ground beneath their feet began to rumble. Behind and above them, that great green light became more intense, and suddenly became a fountain as the Mako kept in the Reactor suddenly shot toward the sky.

"Jesus Christ!" Sora yelled as the glowing green goop began to fall around them. "What the hell is this!?"

Naminé quickly threw up a Barrier around the three of them to protect them and watched as the surface of her shield became more of a neon green than a teal blue. "It has to be Mako."

"Mah-what?"

"Mako." Kaoru said. "Or Lifestream. It's basically the planet's energy. All living things join the Lifestream at some point and become part of this mess. Materia is solidified Mako, and it's used for spellcasting for those who don't have an innate skill for magic."

"And one touch of pure Mako can drive you insane." Naminé added.

"So what about Sephiroth?" Sora asked, partly worried for the man's safety and partly worried for their own.

A black-gloved hand fell on Sora's shoulder. "I told you to stay at the foot of the path."

Sora jumped and stifled his scream, staring wide-eyed at the otherwise unharmed Sephiroth. Sora prudently stepped behind Kaoru.  
"Did you honestly think we'd listen?" Kaoru asked. Sephiroth stared at the boy for a long while and heaved a sigh.

"Not really." The SOLDEIR General finally replied.

Kaoru nodded and looked at Naminé. "Can you move and sustain the Barrier?"

"Yeah, but I'll have to recast it in a minute." Naminé replied, beginning to back down the path.

"That's all right." Kaoru looked up at the falling Mako rain. "So long as this is all we have to deal with."

Ten minutes later, three pairs of eyes glared accusingly at Kaoru when their path was blocked by three Enigma, each salivating and already covered in blood. Kaoru shrugged and called in Reaver.

"Try to kill them quickly." Sephiroth ordered, his voice clipped.

"Great." Sora griped. "You pissed him off, Kaoru."

"Shut the hell up Sora."

Naminé pulled back the hammer of her pistol. "Stop fighting each other and fight them." She dropped the Barrier.

Kaoru exploded into movement, a blur of black and red mixed with silver and Reaver hit the first Enigma head on. The Keyblade crushed the Enigma's nose, but the sharp edge did nothing more than make a shallow slice. The Enigma howled in pain and snapped at its attacker, missing by a hair. Kaoru danced back and Sora impacted the Enigma from the side with Air Raid. Sephiroth engaged the second Enigma, Masamune opening a gash in its side from shoulder to tail. He ducked under its claws and snarled as he pulled Masamune back for a second strike, thrusting the long blade through the Enigma's middle. He tore out guts as he withdrew his sword, but event hat didn't deter the creature. The last Enigma lunged at Naminé, but she proved just as dangerous as the males, firing off three rounds into the Enigma's head and shoulders.

It chased Naminé up an incline, and the girl dodged loose boulders and globs of Mako as she hurried up. She hit a flat plane and turned to fire off two rounds. The bullets impacted hard enough to send the Enigma flying back down below her, and Naminé watched it right itself and begin another attempt to climb. Then she watched in horror as the Enigma changed its mind and turned toward Kaoru and Sora. The two had their hands full with one Enigma, and even Sephiroth was having difficulty dispatching his opponent.

Kaoru ducked under a swipe and jammed Reaver up through the Enigma's lower jaw into its brain, and jerked on his weapon to get it out of the bone. He cursed loud and long when Reaver jammed into bone and locked in place, leaving him vulnerable and open to attack. Sora's Ultima Keyblade swung up high and down with all the strength the brunette could muster, and even still it took two more strikes to completely decapitate the monster. By then, the third Enigma was upon them. Kaoru cursed and vanished Reaver, dodging claws and calling his Keyblade back as he rolled to his feet, meeting a lunge to buy Sora time to cast Curaga on the men.  
Sephiroth wasn't faring much better, as the Enigma he battled seemed to be unfazed at the wounds Masamune was inflicting. The SOLDIER General sported a few new wounds, shallow cuts that oozed blood, but he ignored them, fighting to stay alive. He heard a yelp and turned his head to see Kaoru go down under the Enigma, and Sora quickly cast Firaga to get the monster off. Sephiroth cursed and thrust out his hand to summon Meteor, only to be blocked and forced to back off toward the boys. Sora and Kaoru met Sephiroth's back and the three formed a triangle, eyes on the two circling Enigma.

Kaoru glanced up. "Shit."

"What?" Sora panted out. "More?"

"No. Naminé."

Sora's attention snapped onto the blonde girl who stood on a large boulder, high above the combatants. She held a gun to her head, her other arm outstretched as if she were going to jump. Sora's mouth went dry. He wanted to scream.

Naminé jumped and pulled the trigger.

Then Sora did scream, as Kaoru pulled him out of the way. Sora watched as Naminé fell, pale and lifeless. Around her, crystal snowflakes appeared, and a gentle blue light surrounded her body, making a cocoon. The Enigma howled and whirled to meet the easy prey, and Sora jumped as he felt the shockwave of the cocoon's impact on the earth. The light became an oval and shot out as it dissipated, revealing Naminé. She wasn't dead, but her skin had turned an icy blue, and she was draped in sheer liquid fabric. Slowly her eyes opened to reveal pale blue irises that automatically focused on the Enigma. She raised her hands above her head and as blue light collected in her palms, she opened her mouth to breathe.

Only then did the Enigma realize something was wrong.

But it was too late.

Naminé's hands came down and a torrent of frigid water crashed over the Enigma as if she had just pulled a glacier out of thin air. It froze almost immediately, and as Naminé drew her hands back, the ice cracked and shattered into a fine powder.

Kaoru was the first to move onto the battlefield, moving over to Naminé with a wry smile. Naminé's blue form dissipated, leaving the girl Sora remembered. He slunk up behind Kaoru and stared at Naminé.

"What the hell was that?" Sora squeaked.

"That," Kaoru said with a smile, "was Shiva."

"Shiva?"

"A summon. The goddess of ice and snow." Naminé said, blushing. "This gun, the Evoker, lets me use my body as a medium for the summons."

"You should see her as Ifrit." Kaoru grinned. "Gives a whole new meaning to fur coat."

Naminé slapped Kaoru. Hard. The small Keyblade Master burst out laughing anyway. Sora felt his face heat up and looked away from the two over to Sephiroth who stared down the mountain. The moment Sephiroth began to descend, the other three were quick to follow.


	21. Chapter 21

XIX

Riku awoke with his head in Kairi's lap and Tenkuu tending to a gash in his head. Roxas stood a few feet away, staring out at the horizon as if looking for something. Riku groaned in pain as Tenkuu's fingers applied a bandage over the wound that had been closed by a Cura spell. Kairi stroked his hair.

"You shouldn't move." She told Riku. "You could have a concussion."

"What happened?" Riku asked. "Where's Sora?"

Tenkuu shrugged and finally drew back, satisfied with his first aid. "Not here."

Riku sat up and regretted it as his head started to pound. He accepted Roxas' hand to get to his feet and closed his eyes against the head rush that followed. "Then where?"

"We don't know." Roxas heaved a sigh. "We were separated when we jumped off the Corridor Path, and I'm assuming we landed on the same world. I can feel Sora."

"And I can feel Naminé." Kairi said, brushing off her clothes as she rose. "So they're here, meaning this world."

Riku frowned and looked at his three companions. "So what do we do?"

"We follow the feelings I guess." Kairi replied. "We're bound to come across them sooner or later."

"Murphy's Law requires that there's usually a battle before the return, so, we look for explosions." Roxas said with a grin. Tenkuu rolled his eyes a bit.

"Then I guess we should get started." Riku said.

The quartet rose to their feet and began to walk with Kairi and Roxas in the lead. Their conversation was limited, mostly one pair informing the other pair of a direction change or someone answering a question. It was uneasy, and Riku felt it was because of him. He had some sort of connection to the other three, and none of them were good. He'd tortured Kairi by kidnapping her and keeping her locked up; he'd created Tenkuu from Sora's shadow and then abandoned him, and Roxas he'd beaten and stuck him in a virtual world, inadvertently putting him through psychological torture, all in an effort to help Sora. Riku dropped his gaze to his feet and fell to the rear of the group, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"Riku?" Kairi bent to look into the taller boy's aquamarine eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit."

Riku stared at the Princess with wide eyes. Kairi fluffed her hair and sighed. "Sorry. That was very un-Princess like."

"More like un-Kairi like." Riku replied. Kairi chuckled.

"Sorry." She said. "It's kind of been a growing experience for me, this whole adventure. I kind of miss being the helpless damsel sometimes."

"Until you kick our asses!" Roxas yelled back to them. This time, even Riku had to laugh.

"So, cheer up, Riku. We're all kind of nervous and tired and we all want to go home." Kairi said. "But first we have to find out friends."

"I know." Riku said softly. "But I can't help but feel like you guys resent me or something."

"Because of what happened in the past?" Roxas asked as he approached. "It's the past. We don't blame you. I mean, under the circumstances, we would have done the same in your position. So quit brooding."

Riku shook his head and sighed. "I guess brooding is inherent."

"You're the hero's boyfriend. You're supposed to brood." Kairi quipped.

Riku smiled wryly and shook his head.

The conversation after that picked up dramatically, the four talking about anything from their favourite foods to what they would do when this was finally all over. The miles melted away and by the time dusk fell, they had come out of the plains and only a few miles away from a village nestled in the mountains. For some reason, to Riku, the place seemed familiar. The four quieted and moved forward slowly, the boys with their Keyblades in hand and Kairi with her gun and a Fira spell queued in her right hand. They spoke with signs, approaching the village that was as silent as the approaching night.

In a triangle around Kairi, they entered the village and peeked into all the darkened buildings. Finally, they came to the center of the village and glanced at each other.

"It's a ghost town." Kairi whispered. "It doesn't look like anyone's been here for years."

"There's no dust though." Tenkuu stated. "No cobwebs. Abandoned villages are rundown, gross looking. This place looks like a maid came through and murdered herself to get it all clean."

"And there's no people." Roxas added. "People make messes, especially if it's been abandoned, but so far, the only signs of life have been us."

Riku took a few steps forward and paused, aquamarine gaze slowly drifting over the village. "Was someone expecting us?"

"Maybe. Why?"

"The gate to the mansion over there is open."

The others followed Riku's pointing finger to the gate that stood ajar, and glanced at each other before moving closer. Tenkuu, being a little more in front, peeked around the corner into the courtyard and shrugged.

"Nothing's there." He reported. "And I don't sense anything out of the ordinary."

"So do we go in?" Kairi asked the boys. They glanced at each other and Roxas shrugged.

"Why not?" Riku said finally, though his stomach twisted slightly. "Better to make sure it's empty than have something ambush us."

With the group in agreement, they cautiously made their way up to the mansion's front door. Riku placed his hands on the wood and pushed. Little by little, the old door creaked open, allowing Tenkuu to slip through the crack inside ad help pull open the door for the others. The mansion foyer was huge, like straight out of a horror movie, with a twin staircase that wound up to the second floor landing. Their footsteps echoed in the room and Kairi shivered.

Yeah, she thought, this isn't creepy at all.

The Princess moved closer to Riku.

"What is this place?" Roxas asked, following Tenkuu as the smaller peeked into another first floor room.

"Don't know." Riku replied. "But I think I've been here before."

"What do you mean?" Roxas questioned, sidling over to the left flight of stairs and looking up.

"I can't explain it. It's more a feeling." Riku rubbed the back of his neck. "I think… I think I was born here."

Kairi looked over at her silver-haired friend. "Are you sure?"

Riku shrugged. "Not really, but this place seems so familiar."

Upstairs, something crashed. Instinct alone had the boys falling in quickly around Kairi, weapons in hand. When nothing else moved and all was finally quiet again, the four relaxed, but only slightly.

"Are you sure we're alone?" Kairi whispered.

"No." the boys said together.

Slowly, the four of them made their way up to the second floor and found that floor only held two rooms. One was an office (and the safe was already open) and the other was a bedroom. Kairi placed her hand against the northeastern wall and frowned.

"This is metal." She said. She stepped back to allow Roxas to inspect it.

"I think it's a door." He said, looking back at his friends.

"If it is, can we leave it closed and get out of here?" Tenkuu asked. "This place is creeping me out."

"Riku?"

The silver-haired boy blinked. "What?"

Roxas tapped the supposed door. "What do you want to do? Go further or go back?"

Riku looked at Kairi who gave him a slight nod, then at Tenkuu who looked frightened but determined. Finally Riku swallowed and whispered, "Let's go forward."

Roxas nodded and pushed on the door. It banged open loudly, making the teenagers jump. Down the spiraling staircase they went in single file, Roxas at the lead, Riku at the rear. They hit a dirt floor and stopped, staring down a green-lit hallway. Riku slowly moved forward and the others flanked him. They emerged into an underground laboratory, filled with beakers and pilot lights and burners. There was something bubbling in a flask and several man-sized glass chamber sitting empty along the wall across from where the teens stood. One was broken. Further in, they could see another hallway and an office whose walls were filled top to bottom in books. The books even overflowed to the floor, and some were opened, as if they were in the process of being read. As Roxas, Kairi, and Tenkuu spread out to explore the laboratory, Riku moved to explore the office. It all seemed so familiar to him, as if he had seen it before, as if he had been here before. He circled the desk and froze as he saw the open folders on the desk, displaying one very familiar picture.

Sephiroth.

Swallowing, Riku moved to pick up the file and began to read. His father was a SOLDIER 1st Class, General of the army, along with two others that had been killed in action. The folder detailed medical reports, mission reports, and Riku learned more about is father than Sephiroth would have allowed him to know. With trembling fingers, Riku turned page after page, seeing name after name. Lucrecia, his grandmother; Jenova, his other grandmother; Hojo, his grandfather; Malchus, his brother; and finally SOLDIER 1st Class, Major Zackary Fair.

His mother.

Riku stared at the picture in his hands, fighting not to cry. His mother was grinning at the camera, waving with all the confidence in the world. Eyes that almost matched Riku's own stared up at him, as if promising him the world. Riku's thumb stroked over Zack's face as he whimpered "Mom" so very softly.

"So you're the one," a querulous voice echoed from the shadows. "Your mother did well to hide you from me, but now that you're here and willing, I suppose he didn't hide you well enough."

Riku turned and watched the office melt away, leaving him in a pitch-black room. Out of the shadows wobbled a hunched old man, but he had no cane to help him stand. Instead, his arms were long black tendrils, and those shivered and split to form long fingers. Riku stepped back instinctively.

"Who are you?" he asked.

One finger pushed a pair of glasses higher onto his nose. "Who am I? Don't you remember, Riku? Oh, you look just like your father. But you resemble your mother more accurately don't you?"

Riku felt the desk press into his lower spine. "You're Hojo."

"Very good! Yes, very good. It seems your absence hasn't dulled your faculties in the slightest, unlike that brother of yours." Hojo sniffed and moved closer to Riku. Riku darted around the invisible desk, keeping it between him and Hojo.

"What did you do to Malchus?" Riku snarled.

"I? Nothing. No, your parents destroyed him. Amazing he still lives, really. Enough of that." Hojo held out a tentacle hand. "Come with me, grandson. We have much work to do."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!"

Hojo's lips curled to reveal sharp fangs. "Your mother told me much the same thing once. Don't make me kill you, too, Riku."

Riku closed his eyes tight. "Get away from me!" He screamed.

"Riku!" Roxas grabbed his arm. Riku jerked away and spun, landing hard amidst a pile of books. They rained down on him, but never hit him, floating harmlessly above his head.

"Riku!" Kairi ran to his side, gasping as she hit the barrier. "Riku, it's me. It's Kairi. Riku?"

Riku's eyes fell on Kairi's. Kairi. He knew her. She was safe to be around. He blinked and the barrier dropped, and Kairi was hugging him tight.

"Wh-what happened?" Riku asked.

Roxas shrugged. "You disappeared for a little while. We looked everywhere for you and then we heard you scream."

Tenkuu jogged into the room, panting. "Is he okay?"

"Define okay." Riku groused as Kairi helped him to his feet.

Tenkuu's head cocked to the side. "You're fine. But we're locked in the mansion. There are Enigma out in the village now, and they're coming here."

Riku shuddered. "It's my fault."

Kairi shook her head. "No it's not."

"Yes it is. When I disappeared, I met my grandfather. He's in league with the Enigma and he wanted me to help him." Riku looked away from his friends, closing his eyes.

"All the more reason to say it's not your fault." Kairi said. "You didn't make him call the Enigma."

"It doesn't matter anyway." Roxas grumbled. "What matters is that we get out of here, and we get out of here now."

The teenagers called in their weapons and hurried up the basement stairs back into the main part of the mansion. Outside, they could hear the howling of the Enigma and the sounds of spells being cast.

"That's Sora's voice." Riku whispered.

"Let's go!" Roxas took the lead and led his group out into the mansion's courtyard. Outside the gates Sora and his group fought, attacking the oncoming Enigma.

Roxas launched a fireball at an Enigma that would have taken off Kaoru's head and the two groups merged together once again.

"You're late!" Naminé yelled over the din.

"Sorry!" Kairi yelled back. "We were a little busy!"

They broke into groups of two, attacking and defending until their enemy was dead and they could aid their friends. Just when it seemed to be over, a fresh wave of Enigma attacked the exhausted party.

An Enigma pack leader broke past Riku and Sora, charging straight for Naminé and Kairi. Any warning would come too late, and there was nothing any of the males could do to protect their Princesses. Riku threw up his right hand and yelled in wordless denial.

The Enigma crashed against the ground, skidding on its side, and as it got to its feet, it snarled in terror at the Enigma that stood defensively before the Princesses. While the normal Enigma was black and red, this one was white and gold, a giant wolf-like creature with a lion's mane that flowed like fire. It opened its jaws and let out a tremendous roar in challenge, charging suddenly to meet its opponent.

Another Enigma crashed into Riku's back, flinging him away from Sora and Sephiroth. The white Enigma turned abruptly to lunge at the offending Enigma, but it was too slow. The creature pinning Riku opened its jaws to finish the kill. Sora screamed in denial as blood sprayed and almost ran forward in blind rage, but Sephiroth caught him before he could get close. The Enigma writhed and jerked on the sword that impaled its head, and with a hard kick, it dislodged and crashed into another charging Enigma.

Before the prone Riku stood a Nobody in a tattered black jacket, hands wrapped around the hilts of twin kodachis. A hand raised toward the Enigma and pointed.

The Enigma exploded.

Another charged through the bloody debris and met the same fate. The Nobody ducked under a lunge and whirled, blades opening up the Enigma's stomach. He moved like lightning, cutting and twisting in a dance around Riku. Finally, his blades slammed down into the last Enigma's skull, pinning it to the ground.

"Stay away from my son." Zack snarled.


	22. Chapter 22

XX

Riku lay behind the Nobody, shaking, eyes wide in awe of the man before him. Those swords were wiped clean and thrust into sheaths positioned on the small of his back as the Nobody turned to Riku and offered a hand up. When Riku remained frozen, the hand not offered went up to pull back the hood. Tousled and spiky black hair tumbled over forest green eyes that glowed softly, and the man's lips curled into a smile.

"Come now, Riku." Zack said softly. "Get up."

Riku reached for the Nobody's hand and slowly got to his feet. The moment he was up he latched onto the darker man, eyes closed tight as he buried his face against Zack's chest.

"Mom." Riku breathed. "It's really you, isn't it?"

Zack laughed softly. "Yes. It's really me. You've grown up so much. Look at you." Zack stepped back to hold Riku at arm's length. "Grown up and saving worlds."

A boot scuffed behind the pair, and Zack slowly turned to look up at Sephiroth. The man was paler than normal and slowly reached out to touch Zack's face. His thumb passed over Zack's lips and Sephiroth pulled the smaller man into a breath-stealing hug. Riku felt Sora take his hand and looked down at the brunette.

"That's your mom?" Sora questioned softly.

"Yeah."

"He's scary, isn't he? Took out all those Enigma on his own."

Riku nodded slowly. "I guess he's fought them before."

Zack pulled back from Sephiroth and looked at Sora and Riku. He frowned slightly when the others approached and then his gaze focused on Kaoru. Kaoru gave a groan.

"You said to do what I thought was right!" Kaoru cried indignantly, pointing at Zack. "You knew the whole time this would happen, right?"

"I knew something would happen, but not to this magnitude." Zack replied. "Besides, you know your limits."

"When you speak in idiot, I can't understand you." Kaoru murmured. Sephiroth almost took a step forward, but Zack stopped him.

"We act like this all the time." Zack said with a smile. "Kaoru belongs to Malchus."

"Really now." Sephiroth's gaze intensified, but Kaoru bravely stood his ground.

"Stop it." Zack smacked Sephiroth's shoulder. "We have to go back now."

"Go back where?" Kairi asked.

Zack gazed at the Princess and tilted his head. "Sunrise. From there, Axel will take you seven where you need to be."

"Wait." Riku stepped forward, glowering. "I'm not going anywhere until I have some answers."

"Which I will answer along the way." Zack heaved a sigh and pointed at Riku's lion-Enigma. It sat obediently, bowed its head, and vanished. "But Hojo's suspicions have been confirmed now, and he'll come after you with everything he can use."

"Why?"

"Because you're a Creator, Riku, just like me. If you wanted, you could bring forth your own world. That Griever you summoned is proof of that."

Riku felt Sora squeeze his hand. "So, if I'm like you," he trailed off, unable to ask.

Zack smiled a little. "Maybe. But your power isn't mature enough yet for that."

"But you–" Naminé began and Kairi stepped on her foot. Zack sighed.

"I'm older. Besides, if you hadn't had a kid between you and Sora yet, chances are really good that you won't have one until you're at least twenty."

Naminé frowned at Kaoru and then at Zack. Liar, she mouthed, and blushed when Zack simply stared at her. Finally, Zack took lead of the group, after answering a few more non-pregnancy questions, and brought them into a Dark Corridor. They emerged in Sunrise Town on the beach and Zack looked at the teenagers.

"Here's where we go our separate ways." He looked at Roxas and Kaoru. "You two take them to Axel and get where you need to be. Sephiroth and I will stay here."

"Why do we always have to split up?" Tenkuu asked.

"Creates dramatic suspense." Roxas said. He looked at Sora. "Let's get going."

Sora nodded and tugged on Riku's hand. Slowly, Riku turned to follow the rest of the group up to the boardwalk, instantly looking over his shoulder to watch his parents.

"They'll be fine." Sora told his boyfriend. "I mean, if a sundering can't kill them, Enigma sure won't."

"Yeah. Right." Riku sighed and glared at Kaoru when the smaller punched him in the shoulder.

Kaoru's yellow eyes were narrowed citrine chips as he glared at Riku. "Look, your mom has fought tooth and nail against these things from the beginning. He knows your grandfather's tricks and he's strong enough to stand against him. We're the ones with the more important, dangerous job."

"Kaoru." Naminé admonished. She reached out to take hold of his shoulder, but he shrugged her hand off.

"No." He said in a venomous voice. "Don't 'Kaoru' me. Since the day I was created all I've seen of heroes is that they whine before they finally get down to acting like the hero. They always have problems. Guess what. So do the rest of us! The people I love are fighting too, and of course I'm worried that they'll die! But if I don't step up and do what I'm supposed to do, they'll surely die! I don't whine about it or give voice to it because then I'll just worry more!

"So screw you, Riku. Screw you, Sora. You two don't know what it feels like to have everything you're devoted to ripped out from under you. You don't know what it's like to hope someone is there waiting for you at the end of the day. So just shut up and suck it up! Everyone is just as concerned as you, but the difference is that they're fighting to keep their loved ones from dying, not whining about it and waiting for reassurance!"

The group stared at Kaoru for a good while, his words sinking in to the very core. Roxas put his arm around Kaoru's shoulders, doing well to hide the fact Kaoru was shaking.

"Let's just go." Roxas said softly, hoping the three Islanders wouldn't decide to retaliate against Kaoru.

"Yeah." Kairi said, watching Sora and Riku and looking to intervene before something could happen.

They traveled through the city in silence, watching people board up their homes and businesses and head up for the Palace. It was an eerie reminder of Kaoru's outburst and Sora and Riku glanced at each other, feeling somewhat guilty. They moved up, terra by terra, until they came to Palace's gates where people crowded, being checked before they were let in. Axel spotted them before Naminé could alert him to their presence and the redhead hurried over to them.

"You ready?" he asked as he stopped before the teens.

"Ready?" Kairi asked. "For what?"

"Well, this is the part where I say something about facing your destiny and finding out the truth, but I'm tired. So I'm going to take you to the people who will so irritatingly answer all your questions." Axel muttered.

The teens looked at each other, then to Axel. As one, they gave a half-nod and Axel sighed.

"All right." The redhead rubbed his face. "Let's go."


	23. Chapter 23

Interlude 03: Don't Hold It Against Me

"Do you have to go?"

Axel finished pulling up his pants and turned to look at the berserker lying sprawled out in all his glory on their bed. As much as he wanted to, Axel couldn't tell the Watchers 'screw you' and crawl back in bed with Saïx to pretend none of this was happening.

Axel nodded. "Yeah. But I won't be gone long. I just have to take them and then I'll be back."

Saïx's golden eyes narrowed. "I suppose you'll have another task then."

"Probably. But as soon as it's over, we can live normally again."

"Define normal."

Axel heaved a sigh. "I don't want to, Saïx, but I have to. Just like you have to defend Sunrise. If they get past the automated defenses and the Emblem Zeroes, you guys are the defense."

"It won't come to that." Saïx rumbled. His eyes roamed over the bruises on Axel's chest. "We'll keep them back."

"Most of all," Axel turned to pull on his shirt, because if he didn't, he'd jump right back on top of the berserker and go another round or three. "You need to protect Xemnas."

Saïx sat up and rolled off the bed, slowly moving up behind Axel. "I said we'll keep them back."

Axel's emerald eyes closed as Saïx tilted his head back and dominated his mouth. Two hours and three showers later, Axel stepped out of his quarters and walked down to the Palace lobby.

He was afraid. Who wouldn't be? He could very well die on the trip there or on the trip back. The Watchers' plan could go awry, fail, or succeed with great casualties. Axel felt like he was going to be leading the teenagers to their doom. Axel hit the outside courtyard as refugees trickled in, moving into the Palace one family at a time. It was a slow but thorough process, but they had the time to spare. The Door to Sunrise Town hadn't been forced open yet.

Axel paced outside the gate and watched the residents of Sunrise Town filter into their sanctuary. By noon, his stomach began to twist in knots because Saïx had accompanied Tseng and Rude down into the city to look for stragglers and word had it that pockets of fighting had already broken out. The people weren't panicking yet but then, not every resident was safe yet. More teams of former Organization XIII and the remainder of the Order went into the city, and when a red flare crackled to life, the fighting was on in full.

Among the refugees, Axel finally spotted the teenagers and sighed in relief. He closed his eyes and thought of Saïx to give himself strength.

When he reopened them, Axel looked right at Sora.

He couldn't think about what would happen. Axel couldn't afford to. He had to hold onto hope and fight.

"Saïx." He whispered as he moved forward to meet the Keyblade Masters, the Princesses, and the Creator. "If I die, don't hold it against me."


	24. Chapter 24

Interlude 04: Promise

Sephiroth's eyes were focused on Zack's back as they moved up the beach onto the boardwalk, studying the white wing that matched his own black one. Slowly, he reached out to touch it, and his heart fluttered.

Zack turned to meet his gaze and smiled. "I told you before my heart belonged to you."

It took Sephiroth a moment to understand. "Your heart is in my chest?"

Zack nodded and shrugged. "I thought you were dead. Malchus was safe with Tseng and Riku was safe on Destiny Islands, When I died, I died to meet you, but I couldn't get to where you were. My heart found you, but my body didn't."

Sephiroth frowned. "And you became the Leader of the Order."

"Huge organizations are usually able to find those they're looking for." Zack sighed. "Unfortunately, once I found you, I couldn't let you know. You had to remember on your own."

"Those rules are stupid."

"I didn't make them."

Sephiroth frowned at Zack and reached out to take hold of his wrist. "Tell me about Riku."

"Riku was conceived the day you burned down Nibelheim." Zack whispered. "Because of the trauma my body received, my pregnancy was somewhat delayed and never showed. When I had Riku, I found Vincent, and he helped me."

"He told me the story." Sephiroth replied softly. His thumb ghosted over the back of Zack's hand. "No one ever knew."

"He had to be a secret, Seph. If Hojo found him when he was vulnerable, well, what he did to me would be like a slap on the wrist."

"What did he do to you?"

"Experiments. Mako, mostly. He created Cloud the SOLDIER from me. Just like Genesis and Angeal."

Sephiroth snarled softly. "He would have created me through my son."

"Or tried to create what he wanted you to be." Zack said. "But he'll get his, Seph. Right now, you and I need to concentrate on what we have to do here."

Sephiroth slowly nodded and pulled Zack close to him. He crushed their mouths together, loving the taste of his lover and realizing he had never forgotten it in the first place. Zack pulled back after a moment and grinned.

"We can do that after." Zack joked. "Now, we have to fight."

Sephiroth's green eyes narrowed. "After?"

"Promise."

"Well then." Sephiroth cracked his neck and called Masamune to his hand. "By all means, lead the way."

Zack smiled a Cheshire smile and led the General into the city and into battle.


	25. Chapter 25

XXI

Axel led the teenagers through a part of the Dark Corridor only he and the Watchers could access, and made sure they kept up and kept close. It wasn't silent, and they could hear fighting taking place in the dark void that stretched on forever. Axel didn't tell them that the fighting they heard was from the Doors to other worlds, and that they were going to the central hub of all the Corridors to fight. Axel didn't tell them they probably wouldn't make it. Axel didn't tell them anything. He brought them to the courtyard between the Sun and Moon Gates and the Door to Light and Dark and looked at the teenagers.

"Here's where we part." He said softly, as if conveying a great secret.

"What do you mean?" Naminé looked at Kairi and then back to Axel. "Axel?"

"I mean that you're fighting here. I have to go back." At the looks of fear on their faces, Axel tried not to let guilt consume him. "You won't be alone."

"Why does it feel like we're being condemned?" Kaoru asked softly.

Because you kinda are. Axel wanted to say. Instead he said, "Because this is where your powers will be needed most."

"We'll be all right." Roxas said. His blue eyes pinned Axel like a lion's stare. "When we get back, he'll buy us all sea salt ice cream."

"I hate sea salt ice cream." Kaoru muttered.

"Then I get yours."

"Fine."

Axel smiled but sighed. "Just do what you think is right."

"You'd better survive." Naminé said.

"Yeah." Tenkuu added. "I want that ice cream."

Axel laughed. "Promise. I'll see you guys back in Sunrise."

With that, he left them in the courtyard, fighting the need to look back. If he looked back, he'd end up staying and he couldn't. What was going to happen here wasn't his fight. He had to fight back home.

Axel emerged from the Corridor in Terminal, the central part of Sunrise and immediately flung one of his chakram into an Enigma's spine to drive it away from Demyx. He didn't question the odd exit point and just leaped out into the fray, calling a torrent of flame to meet Demyx's water. The two met in the fountain, behind a water shield.

"Where's your backup?" Axel demanded of the younger man.

Demyx gave a short groan. "I don't have any! Xemnas suddenly decides he has to go somewhere and up and leaves! So I go after him. When we get here, he goes in the same portal you come out of and these things show up!"

Axel stared at the brunette for a long while. "You lost him?"

"Christ, I lost him! He's probably with our friends by now!"

"Does anyone else know?" Axel shot a fire-encrusted chakram through an opening in the shield, knocking out several Enigmas' teeth.

"Everyone knows." Demyx hissed. "He made a fucking announcement!"

Axel snarled a snarl that would have made Saïx proud and the moment Demyx dropped the shield, the pair were fighting in tandem with all the viciousness granted them when they could still call themselves Organization XIII.

Axel came down hard on one Enigma, creating a rather impressive fireball with the Enigma as its focal point, and Demyx used the fountain's waters to drown another. An eerie howl went up a moment later, and Axel caught hold of Demyx, pulling him out of combat and up toward the Palace. Not a minute later, the sirens sounding a retreat went off, and the remote traps began to explode, blocking the paths so the fighters had an actual chance to escape to safety. Axel and Demyx stood within the Palace's gate, their last ditch effort at defense.

The brunette young man heaved a dry breath and looked at Axel. "They'll be okay, right? They'll come back?"

"Of course they will." Axel replied, watching the mass of Enigma begin to surge up the terras. "We have to believe in them."

Kairi strode around the huge door set on the grassy hill in the center of the courtyard, trying to figure out what its purpose was. The others had spread out a bit, sitting or standing, not really knowing their purpose. Finally, the brunette girl came to stand beside Riku and Sora, looking out on the violet hued courtyard. Even here, they could hear sounds of fighting, but they had yet to see any action. Not like they wanted to fight but it sort of came with the occupation.

"How long are we going to wait?" Tenkuu asked. "We shouldn't be here. We should be out there, fighting with our friends."

"Axel brought us here for a reason." Kaoru said. He opened one golden eye to look at Tenkuu from where he lay on the grassy hill. "We have to wait for that reason to reveal itself."

"Why does it feel like you know so much?" Kairi asked the silver-haired boy.

"Because I'm assuming." Kaoru sat up abruptly and got to his feet.

A moment later, they all felt it, that ancient and dangerous presence. The eight circled around each other, weapons in hand. A soft laugh bubbled up from the darkness that was slowly creeping inward and when it stopped, two Nobodies emerged from the black. One was shorter than the other, but both seemed to be the same size in power. The smaller stepped forward little by little, followed by the taller and soon the two stood before the teenagers, looking down at them.

"Well, what are you standing there for?" the taller snapped. "Don't you know what you're supposed to do?"

The smaller Nobody looked at his companion and slowly let out a sigh. "No. They don't."

"Who are you?" Sora asked, half demanding, half afraid.

"We are the Watchers." The smaller replied with a hint of a smile. "Our names are unimportant. We asked Axel to bring you here for we have great need of you."

"For what?"

The smaller Watcher's head tilted. "You've seen the two Gates, yes? They are the Moon and Sun Gates, through which hearts travel to reach Kingdom Hearts, this Door here."

"We can't defend all three, so we called you." The taller Watcher said. "Kairi, Sora, and Kaoru will go to defend the Sun Gate, while Naminé, Roxas, and Tenkuu will defend the Moon Gate."

Riku swallowed. "What about me?"

The smaller Watcher turned to point at the Door they stood beside. "The Creator will defend the Door with the Heart-maker."

Riku glanced at Sora and then back at the Watchers. "Who?"

"You will know him when he arrives. Go now and prepare. Our enemies will be upon us very soon."

"Wait!" Sora cried. "What are you guys gonna do?"

The smaller Watcher smiled. A terrible shiver went down Sora's spine. "We have our own battle. We will draw most of the attention to us, so you will only face what you have fought before. When you see the lightning, retreat to the Door from the Gates."

"And then what?" Roxas looked at his friends, then back at the pair of Watchers. "What happens?"

"If all goes well, then you'll be taken home." The taller Watcher said. "Go now. The time draws near and this war waits for no one."

The teens looked at one another and slowly nodded. They didn't bother with hugs or words or other forms of affection. They simply split into their groups and headed down their roads. Riku shuddered when he saw his friends waver and vanish and looked toward the Watchers. Only, Riku was alone now, standing beside the Door.

He tried to tell himself he wasn't afraid, but then that would be lying. Riku shuddered and hoped his parents were doing better than he was.


	26. Chapter 26

XXII

Kairi looked at Sora and Kaoru and clasped her hands together. The three stood before the Sun Gate, weapons in hand, waiting for the onslaught. Out in the void, they could hear thunder, and all of them kept looking for the lightning. Kairi chewed on her lip, wondering what she could say to ease the tension in Sora's shoulders. He was worried about Riku most of all, but he was worried about Roxas, Naminé, and Tenkuu as well. They should be fighting together, not separated, and they should be there to fight alongside Riku, because they were friends, and friends fight alongside one another.

Kairi looked up when she heard the growl emanate from the dark beyond the Sun Gate and saw Kaoru tense. Kairi queued up a Curaga, far enough away so she could cast healing spell after healing spell and not get in the way of the two Keyblade masters.

Kaoru engaged the Enigma first, Reaver slicing through flesh as he rushed out beyond the Gate. Sora took those that were able to get past Kaoru and within the gate, the two fighting fiercely with everything they had. Kairi cast Curaga after Curaga and tossed the boys ethers when their magic ran low, but still there were too many Enigma. Kairi was able to fire a few bullets before she had to retreat to the stone circle set twenty paces back from the Sun and watched from there, still casting what spells she could.

Sora fell to one knee as an Enigma slammed into him from behind, but the Ultima Keyblade kept it from doing any more damage. Kaoru was flagging, his strikes more out of desperation than natural movement. Kairi spammed ethers and healing spells, trying to rejuvenate the two Keyblade Masters. The Enigma just kept coming, and behind them were the Heartless. Kairi felt a tear roll down her face.

They were going to die here. Their parents would never know what happened to them, and Kaoru's family and loved ones would wonder if they had done the right thing in letting the teenagers leave the safety of the city. Kairi clasped her hands together in a prayer-like fashion and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Please don't let Sora and Kaoru die!" she whispered fiercely. "They have people waiting for them, people who love them, hoping they come back. Please don't let my friends die!"

Kairi repeated herself over and over again, whispering the words against the crashing of blades and claws, of screams and yells. She lifted her head, tears in her eyes and screamed for her two protectors.

The sigil under her feet burst into a radiant golden light. The Enigma close to the light squealed in pain and tried to run back to the darkness, but they couldn't avoid it. The light rushed out in pulsing spears, ghosting over the stretch of battleground between the sigil and the gate. The Sun gate began to glow with that golden light then, and Kairi stared with wide eyes as the great lioness on the gate came to life. She did not move except to let out a long and loud roar that echoed and re-echoed across the stretch of the courtyard.

Kairi thought she heard an answering roar.

Sora and Kaoru sprinted up to Kairi to catch her before she collapsed and broke something, supporting her as the Sun Gate began to glow brighter than any sun they knew.

"It's beautiful," Kairi breathed.

"Yeah." Sora whispered. "Look how it shines. There's so much light in that thing."

Kaoru kept his silence, watching as the light fathered at the lioness' mouth in a large orb. Then, a single beam of light shot out, heading straight for the Door where Riku waited. Sora was about to chase after it, but Kaoru grabbed his arm.

"We can't go yet." Kaoru said at Sora's indignant splutter. "We have to wait for the lightning."

"Who knows when that will be!" Sora hissed. "Riku needs me now!"

Kaoru's grip tightened. "Wait."

Kairi gasped and pointed as the Sun Gate's portcullis began to descend. Outside the Gate, the Enigma yowled and writhed in the light, but beyond that, the trio could see Doors that were wide open. Then were hundreds, maybe even thousands, all open and exposing the world and its inhabitants to the Enigma. One by one, those doors slammed shut and sparked out of existence, the light as bright as lightning.

Kaoru grinned at Sora. "Now we go. Before the Sun Gate closes completely."

Sora pulled at Kairi's arm and the three began to run, feeling the ground begin to rumble beneath their feet. They didn't look back, hurrying ever forward, running with all the strength they had left in them.

They passed through a flickering void, a viscous fluid that only served to slow them down, and when they emerged, they fell flat on the cobblestone path that surrounded the hill to the Door. Riku was nowhere to be seen, and the Door stood slightly ajar. Panic filled Sora and Kairi's hearts.

"Riku!" They screamed together as loud as they could. "RIKU!?"


	27. Chapter 27

XXIII

Naminé fired bullet after bullet into the throng of Enigma, catching some in the head and slowing others down long enough for Roxas and Tenkuu to cut them to pieces with their Keyblades. Roxas' Oathkeeper and Oblivion flashed with deadly precision, cutting off limbs one second and skewering and eviscerating the next. Tenkuu mostly kept to watching Roxas' back, taking on the Enigma that managed to get past the Firaga spells Naminé had set at the center of the Moon Gate.

Their onslaught consisted mostly of Heartless, with several Enigma thrown in to liven up the mix. As the Moon Gate seemed to be on the side of Darkness, the Enigma and Heartless seemed rather upbeat and lazy about fighting the two Keyblade Masters and the Princess of Heart. It was sheer numbers that their enemies were relying on, and their ploy, whether Naminé, Roxas, and Tenkuu liked it or not, was working.

Even Naminé was hard-pressed to protect the boys, but she kept trying. She even exhausted her Evoker bullets, each one now needing to regain its strength before she could use them again. It seemed like a downhill battle.

Naminé's pistol clicked empty.

"Roxas! Tenkuu!" Naminé yelled. "Fall back! I'm out!"

Roxas glanced at his Princess and then to Tenkuu. Whatever passed between the pair Naminé wasn't privy to, but she understood a moment later when she had retreated to the sigil and the boys had not.

They were going to die to protect their Princess.

Naminé screamed as she watched a wave of Heartless crash over Roxas and she held out her hand to him as if she could rescue him if she just reached a bit farther. Oathkeeper broke out first, then Oblivion, and Roxas came out of the fray in a rising spin, crashing down feet first on an Enigma's spine. Naminé couldn't breath a sigh of relief as Tenkuu was swept under a wave of Heartless and a single Enigma. Roxas was quick to get to Tenkuu's rescue, but the smaller brunette sported a fresh wound across his forehead.

Naminé was shaking. She had been in combat before and was no stranger to it, but she and her friends had always come out on top. They had been stronger, faster, smarter. Now, they were the ones that were weaker, slower, stupid. They were the ones losing and they had no means to turn it around. They were helpless. Naminé clutched her hands together to try and quell her shaking, to put aside the fear in her heart and try to think of a way out of this predicament.

"Roxas! Tenkuu!" Naminé screamed but her warning was too late. The Enigma rose up on its hind legs, front claws ready to crush and tear the boys.

Naminé stopped thinking. Her Evoker was in her hands, aimed at the Enigma. She pulled the trigger. The sigil beneath her feet ignited and a fierce white-blue light shot from the pistol, crashing into the Enigma. The light didn't stop; it went through several more creatures before it hit the Moon Gate.

Almost immediately, the Gate began to glow, and the lioness atop the structure began to move. Beyond the Moon Gate, the darkness began to recede, revealing thousands upon thousands of open doors. Roxas grabbed at Tenkuu and dragged him up toward Naminé just before the lioness shook her head and roared. The boys reached the sigil just before the first Enigma exploded. The three watched the chaos in awe as one by one the doors beyond the Gate began to slam shut, sparking out of existence like lightning.

Naminé grabbed Roxas' hand. "Come on!" she yelled. "Remember what the Watchers said? When we see the lightning, we're supposed to go back!"

Roxas whipped his head toward the blonde girl and stared at her for a moment. "Right." He said weakly. He tugged on Tenkuu and the three began to jog at a light pace until their wits were back about them. They hit the halfway point and gave a collective yell as a beam of light shot overhead, straight at the central Gate. Hurrying, the followed the light and passed through the shimmering wall of viscous fluid to land in a heap before the Gate.

"Naminé!" Kairi yelled, running over to her Nobody. She slid to her knees beside her and helped Naminé up. The blonde Princess looked around at Sora and Kaoru and leaned against Kairi for support as Tenkuu and Roxas regained their footing.

"Where's Riku?" Naminé asked in a whisper.

As if in answer, the Gate on the center hill began to glow as the two beams of light came together and the lion poised on top of the gate shook his great mane. Naminé and Kairi clutched to each other, and the entire group watched as the lion's great paw lifted to open the Door as wide as it could go. Within the Door was naught but Darkness with only a small single star in the distance.

Roxas grabbed Sora before he could run into it. "No, Sora!" Roxas hissed. "This is Riku's fight."

"But he's alone in there!" Sora yelled back, standing limply in Roxas' hold.

"He's not alone." Kairi said softly. Her hand tightened around Naminé's. "We're never alone, because we're always with each other, even when we're far away. We're friends."

Kaoru lifted his head and smiled slightly. "We have to believe in him."

Sora looked at Kairi and the others, and Roxas finally let him go.

"Yeah." Sora whispered, nodding. "Yeah. Come on, Riku! We're waiting for you!"

Above, on the Door, the Lion shook his great mane and roared.


	28. Chapter 28

XXIV

Riku had known going into the Door had been a bad idea, but when it had opened, something had compelled him to enter the dark domain. It wasn't like he didn't know the darkness; this dark was the same darkness he had encountered in Kingdom Hearts, only warmer, gentler. It welcomed Riku at the same time it told him to run and get out of here. His feet kept moving forward.

Mist swirled about his legs like an overly affectionate house cat, impeding his progress but giving him the strength to keep moving. Behind him, he swore he could hear a lion's roar but Riku swore that he must have been imagining it. He kept moving forward, kept walking, going deeper and deeper into the Door. Riku stopped and looked back. Faintly, he could see the sliver of light that indicated the Door and sighed. At least he wouldn't get lost when he tried to get out.

He walked for what seemed to be hours, going ever further though it felt like he never made any progress. The mist finally disappeared at the base of stairs, and curiosity made Riku climb up. He ascended slowly, taking his time, and when he reached the top he found a flat plateau with a carved sigil in the stone. He had never seen such a symbol before, but Riku wasn't afraid. He simply moved closer and stopped in the center.

"This place is where They were born." A whispered voice came from the dark.

Riku whirled to see Xemnas, the man slowly moving closer, smiling as his gaze locked on the sigil. "They?"

"The Watchers. The very first Creator was born, right where you stand. He told me you would be here." Xemnas looked up at Riku.

Riku tensed. "Xiko? Xiko told you?"

"No." Xemnas replied, giggling. "Xact did. He told me I would meet someone here. I guess he meant you."

"I guess so." Riku looked around the plateau, always keeping aware of Xemnas' movements.

"Guess so, guess so." Xemnas repeated. "Always guess so. But that's all right; you're young. You're allowed to guess."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Xemnas just smiled. "Do you believe in destiny?"

Riku blinked. "Not really." He answered honestly.

Xemnas' head bobbed in a nod. "Well, it's time to face something."

Riku turned to face Xemnas, but found the man gone. He was alone. The fine hairs on the back of Riku's neck began to crawl as he felt it approach, something creepy and dangerous. It felt familiar, sang to his blood, and Riku soon came face to face with his grandfather.

Hojo's lips curled in a nasty snarl. "Hello grandson."

Riku didn't grace the warped old man with a reply. Instead, he called in Way to Dawn and settled into stance, eyes narrowed.

"Come now." Hojo said with a huge guffaw. "Really, you are just like your mother. Always fighting what's good for him."

"Shut up." Riku snarled. "You tore apart my family for your own sick game. You tortured my father and my friends! So don't you tell me what's good for me."

Hojo's face twisted into something hideous. Riku jerked back as a tentacle shot forward and he was only barely able to dodge it. They exchanged no more words; they didn't need to. Riku was determined to win one way or another. Hojo's attacks were quick and precise, but he was used to fighting a large group of heavily armed adults, not one quick teenager who only possessed a single sword. Riku was able to predict where a tentacle would strike and act accordingly, cutting off the limbs one by one and angering Hojo more. The tentacles weren't Riku's only problem, as they kept growing back, but Hojo was coming ever closer, stepping onto the sigil's far edge, then closer, almost to its center where Riku fought.  
A tentacle snaked around Riku's ankle and hauled him up so quickly Riku thought is brain would dribble out his ears. Hojo stood below him, cackling.

"A good fight, grandson, but I always win in the end." Hojo snickered. More tentacles wrapped around Riku as he hung suspended in the dark. They bound his wrist and Riku quickly dismissed his sword so the foul limbs wouldn't touch it. Slowly, they drew him down until he was looking into Hojo's face. "I'm going to love finding what makes you tick."

The sigil burst into fierce white light as a lion's roar reverberated throughout the chamber. Hojo screamed and released Riku who fell heavily onto Xemnas as the man pulled him out of the light. Safe on the edge, Xemnas held Riku in place and together they watched the light die. Hojo stood in the center, skin blackened and charred, but still alive. His eyes opened and his burnt lips split into a skull-like grin when he saw the pair sitting on the edge of the sigil.

"Isn't this my lucky day." Hojo rasped. He reached out toward Xemnas and Riku. "Be good boys and come with me. Now."

Xemnas chuckled. Slowly, he rose and pulled Riku up with him, an arm around the boy's shoulders. "For the longest time," Xemnas whispered, "I've wanted to know why I was given the powers I have, why I lived for so long. I guess it was for this moment."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Riku hissed. "We have to fight!"

"No." Xemnas shoved Riku behind him and smiled. "I have to fight. My time has been borrowed for this moment. Riku, you're a Creator." Xemnas looked to Riku and smiled. "Give me something I can win with."

Riku's mouth worked as Xemnas began to walk forward. His heart raced, because Xemnas was going to fight his enemy for him. Did he need to be saved all the time? Was he really that weak? Riku watched a tentacle wrap around Xemnas' throat and begin to squeeze. No. He was a Creator, like his mother. He could be just as powerful as his father. Closing his eyes, Riku imagined something he'd dreamed of as a child, something that had given him comfort when he felt alone and lost. He hadn't known what it had meant at the time, but when he had seen his parents together he had finally understood why he dreamed about angels.

Riku raised his right hand, eyes still closed, imagining Xemnas as an angel. Four wings grew from his back; two white and two black. In Xemnas' hand was a sword of light, almost like the one Sora had described from his fight with the Nobody. He heard a wicked laugh become a cry of terror and felt heat against his face. Riku opened his eyes.

Xemnas stood there in his altered form, pinning Hojo to the glowing sigil with that light sword of his. He was smiling. He was also disintegrating.

Riku gave a wordless yell of protest and almost launched himself forward. He hit a sold, invisible wall.

"Go, Riku. Your task is over." Xemnas smiled. "Besides, I won't tell if you won't."

"But–!" Riku protested, trying to push through the barrier. Xemnas shook his head.

"You still have things to do," Xemnas said. "Go back. Run. And don't look back."

Riku glared at both of them, then gave a yell and pushed away from the barrier, running as fast as he could for the tiny speck of light in the distance. He kept running, even when he heard the sound of rattling and crashing stone behind him. He kept going forward, kept running, and pretended the tears were from the wind whipping at his face. He hit the door running and tumbled through, giving a startled yell as he crashed into Sora. The pair went down hard, tumbling head over heels until they landed in a heap at the bottom of the hill. Riku was on his feet in an instant, grabbing Sora up as he did so.

"Riku!" Kairi cried. "You're okay!"

Riku gave her a half-grin. "Yeah. I'm alright. But we have to get out of here."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Roxas asked. "The Gates are closed."

Riku smiled. "I'll make a way out."

Before anyone could ask what he meant, the ground beneath their feet trembled. High above them, the lion on the Door roared in pain and slowly began to crumble. The Door began to creak closed and a pale hand thrust between the crack. Kaoru grabbed onto Naminé before she could grab that hand and shook his head.

"But that's Xemnas!" Naminé protested.

"Not anymore."

The Door crashed closed before the teenagers could move, the ground opened up beneath them, swallowing them whole.


	29. Chapter 29

XXV

Xiko kicked his feet, swinging back and forth in the lonely light. Forward and back, the motion was relaxing, a metronome that put the original Creator at ease. This time, there could be no mistakes. This time, he had to follow through. Xact slowly approached with the three leystones, carefully placing them in their niches. One by one the stones glowed with an inner fire until the lonely light was swallowed up by hues of red and blue and violet.

"Will he come?" Xact asked.

Xiko's butter yellow eyes slid to his sheath. "He'll come."

Xact nodded and looked away from his lifetime companion. Even after all these years Xact still felt as if he did not know Xiko at all. Xiko's mind made leaps and bounds he could only dream of, and Xiko showed an infinite amount of patience to him. Xact wondered if, one day, Xiko's patience for him would run out as it had for Madax.

Xact looked up to find Xiko's swing abandoned. The Nobody had moved to the blue leystone, gently touching a sequence Xact could never hope to duplicate. He did the same with the red and violet leystones, and in the triangle, a web formed. It glowed brightly for a moment, then faded away.

"You are to observe." Xiko told Xact. "This is my fight."

"Xiko."

"No. I need you to be there to leash me." Xiko's eyes met Xact's. "Please."

Numbly, Xact nodded and stepped out of the expanding triangle. The pair did not have to wait long; the dark around them echoed with the lioness' roars and then the lion's howl of pain. As the light expanded in the chamber, Xact finally saw Madax. He looked haggard, his skin drawn and his eyes sunken. Xact shuddered. Xiko had played his hand far too well. Without the source of power that kept the Watchers alive, they were nothing more than undead sorcerers. Madax would come here, seeking to correct the flow of power, and here, Xiko would be waiting. Xact took a few steps back, widening the battlefield.

"Xiko!" Madax roared. "What have you done?!"

Xiko spread his hands. "I've done nothing. All of this you have brought on yourself."

"Lying bastard." Madax snarled. He stepped into the triangle, and seemed to be rejuvenated. "I'm creating a world we could rule. Us three, together! We would no loner have to Watch!"

"We are the Watchers." Xiko replied smoothly. "We watch. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Why?" Madax demanded, crashing his gauntlets together. "We're the most powerful beings alive!"

"Which is exactly why we watch. We are not gods; we cannot toy with a path once it's been set. We are the guardians, the sentinels." Xiko began to move closer to the mad Watcher, his cloak slipping off to reveal a body clothed in just black pants. Red hair brushed at pale shoulders as Xiko's head turned to look at Xact. "Our time is over in the outside world. While we might give guidance and aid, we do not control. When a world and its inhabitants cannot choose their own destiny, there is no point to even exist."

Madax's lips curled in a snarl. "You've gotten weak in your old age."

"No." Xiko said softly. "I remember."

Xact shuddered at the quiet tone. Madax let out a predator's howl and charged Xiko, but the Nobody had already moved. His skin rippled as he flew into a flurry of punches, pale flesh replaced by black fur. The yellow of Xiko's irises expanded to envelop his entire eye and his nose and mouth elongated into a snout. Madax broke away from Xiko and stared wide-eyed at the creature before him.

Xiko threw back his head and howled in challenge. "You wanted to fight for power, Madax. This is the power I was given for Kingdom Hearts. This is what makes me strong."

"You've only become an animal." Madax chortled. "I like animals. Maybe if you live, you can be my bitch."

Xact very much doubted Xiko would leave Madax that opportunity. Xiko's true form darted forward, claws raking across Madax's face. Xact could only liken it to a bipedal wolf, as Xiko moved easily on two legs turned backwards like a werewolf's. The snout was softer, closer to human than canine, but the animal in Xiko was apparent.

Madax's fist caught Xiko in the side of the head and sent him flying. The Heartless Creator shook his head and got to his feet, lips drawn back in a snarl. Madax charged forward and Xiko dodged, his teeth latching onto Madax's leading arm and shaking viciously as he raked his claws over exposed flesh, seeking muscle and sinew. A well-placed kick had Xiko retreating with a yip, but he would not allow Xact to enter the fight.

Blood splashed on the blue stone, and it ignited into an impervious flame.

Xiko rolled away from a lightning-enhanced punch and sprung up behind Madax, claws digging in around his spin and shredding everything before Madax's elbow crashed into Xiko's temple and flung him away.

Blood dripped onto the red stone and it ignited into a flickering flame.

Xiko's ribs cracked audibly as Madax kicked him with vicious glee, and the Creator howled in pain. Xiko was looking more and more human to Xact, and Madax only looked to be growing stronger. Snarling, Xiko caught the next kick and twisted so hard something in Madax's leg popped. The taller man let out a scream and flailed, but Xiko was already out of the way, panting heavily as blood dripped from his now-human mouth. Madax struggled to get up and Xiko's clawed foot caught his face, scoring deep lacerations across his eyes.

Blood ignited the violet stone and Xiko gestured to each flame.

"Life, death, and rebirth." He said softly. "For us, life is eternal, but there is always a price. When you became a Watcher, your price hadn't been paid yet."

The fur rippled and became flesh, as Xiko moved to step out of the triangle, walking slowly around it, touching each stone. The flames spread out in low walls, boxing Madax in.

"What are you doing?!" Madax howled.

"You used Xact and I. You used our influence and power. You ignored the Rules and therefore stripped yourself of your status." Xiko said as if he were teaching a class of children. "You really didn't think there wouldn't be consequences, did you?"

Xact whipped his head around to stare at his superior. Xiko ignored the look and continued circling. "Power without limits is impossible. Sooner or later, your wrongs catch up to you and destroy you. I've overlooked your transgressions once too many."

"You can't." Madax said with a slight laugh. "If you do, the balance of power will be thrown off kilter."

Xiko's head cocked. "How many scales does the balance of justice have?"

Madax paled.

"Answer the question."

Madax looked at Xact. Xact looked away.

Xiko's voice was thunder. "Madax. Answer the question."

Madax's eyes locked with Heartless yellow. "Two."

Xiko smiled. "Two."

Xact fought not to cover his ears as the screams began, the fires closing in on Madax. As the man burned, Xact picked up Xiko's jacket and moved to drape it over the redhead's shoulders.

"Is it over?" Xact asked when the fires died, leaving no trace of their once-companion.

Xiko's head titled, as if he were listening to some far off sound. "It will never be over, Xact." He replied softly. "His price was his corporeal form. He prided himself on his voice and his ability to sway choices once one has been made. So, for his transgression, the fires took that all away. But he's still alive, somewhere, and there will be others like him. That is why we exist. Why we are the Watchers. When the time comes, we call upon those who will fight the Dark and fight to preserve the balance."

Xiko looked up to Xact and smiled. "It's never really over. We just get vacations now and then."

Xact blinked and laughed a nervous laugh. "Vacations."

Xiko smirked. "Come on, my friend. We have work to do."


	30. Chapter 30

Epilogue

Kairi jogged down the cobblestone street, armed with a beach towel and a bag full of sunscreen, buckets and shovels, and a change of clothes. She had gotten up early if only because she knew Sora and Riku would sleep late, and so she could yell at them for being late. She jogged past Sora's house, pausing only to rouse him from sleep via his mother and she made a show of impatiently tapping her foot to make him feel bad. Then they went to fetch Riku.

They had woken up back in Sunrise Town's infirmary a week ago. They had spent all the time they could with their new friends, playing and laughing. Unfortunately, the Islanders couldn't play at being injured forever, and regretfully had to say good-bye. But when Riku learned his parents would be staying at Sunrise Town, he'd formed a Corridor that linked the Islands and Sunrise, and Zack had anchored it. So now, they could visit each other whenever they wanted. Naminé had even begun going to their high school for senior year, as had Roxas. Kaoru had scoffed at the idea of schooling and pointed out he had access to a library. Tenkuu had agreed with him.

"Riku!" Kairi yelled outside the older boy's bedroom window. "Hurry up!"

She yelled a few more times before a pale finger appeared in the window and flipped her off. At least he was moving. Riku joined Kairi and Sora moments later, dressed in a plain white t-shirt and swim trunks.

"Do you have any idea what time it is, Kairi?" Riku groused.

"Noon," Kairi replied with a matter-of-fact voice. "I woke up at nine. I gave you guys three extra hours. Be grateful."

Sora snickered. Riku shot him a glare. They had a quick breakfast of granola bars and bottled milkshakes as they walked the connecting Corridor and when they emerged into the Sunrise Town sun, they could see they weren't the only ones who were somewhat late.

Naminé perked up when he saw Kairi and waved. The two girls quickly met at a sprint and, giggling, hurried down to the beach. The five boys followed at a more sedate pace, discussing a long debate Kaoru had inadvertently started when they were in the infirmary. It was something along the lines of why were hot dogs called hot dogs when they weren't made out of dogs?

The beach was alive with activity, but the teenagers found their section easily enough. After all, Sephiroth was hard to miss. Riku broke off to greet his parents and brother, who latched onto Riku until he saw Kaoru. Everyone laughed and played without a care in the world, picking who they would gang up on before dunking the chosen victim into the ocean. It was as if they had never fought for the safety of all worlds, as if their adventures had just been a dream.

And then the Watchers showed up.

Naminé had simply extended her hand to the shorter one and said, "Hi. I'm Naminé. Welcome to our party."

A pale hand had pulled back the hood to reveal a young face framed by straight red hair. "Xiko." The Nobody replied, shaking the Princess' hand. "Thank you."

Naminé had grinned and Xiko had been tossed into the ocean. He had come up spluttering, glared at his companion, then started to laugh. All seemed right again. As the sun went down, bonfires were started, and food was cooked and eaten, marshmallows were roasted, and then fireworks set off.

Naminé and Kairi wandered to the end of the beach to watch the bright bursts of colour in silence, and were soon joined by Roxas, Tenkuu, Kaoru, Riku, and Sora.

"I wish," Naminé began, "we could spend every night like this, with nothing to worry about."

"Me too." Kairi echoed.

"We can't." Kaoru said softly. When the group turned to look at him, he was staring up at the stars he could see, smiling. "As long as we still possess the Keyblades, we'll always be needed. We didn't ask for the job, but now that we have it, we have to fight to protect what's dearest to us."

Riku laughed. "Sounds good enough for me."

The others echoed Riku and turned their gazes to watch the fireworks, and above those, the stars, each one a little world that needed its own special guardian.

Owari


End file.
